Chapter Text
“Max,” Nathan whispered evenly, “There are surveillance cameras in here.”
Both girls’ eyes widened. Chloe’s looked like they were almost bulging out of her head when she exploded.
"What the FUCK is going on here? You’re fucking sick, Prescott!” Chloe all but screamed as she made her way around the desk, launching herself at Nathan.
“Chloe, stop!”
“No! He’s got something to do with this, otherwise he wouldn’t be here! It’s his fucking barn!”
“Get off me, bitch!” Nathan barked at her, trying not to hurt her at Max’s horrified face while trying to avoid her punches as well.
“Chloe! Get off, now!” Max pulled on her as hard backwards as she could, gripping her arm and shoulder, and sent them both tumbling to the floor.
“How much have you seen, Max?”
“Seen? Nathan, what have you done?”
“What have you seen? I need to know, now!”
“The computer… I tried so fucking hard to believe you, Nathan.”
“Believe him? What-“
“Anything else? The cupboard?” Nathan nodded his head to the cupboard Max had partially opened. Both girls swirled their heads to see dozens of red binders, labeled with girls’ names, Rachel just peeking out of the closed door.
The blood in Max’s veins ran cold as she turned to face Chloe who was frozen in shock, still staring at the binder. Rachel is missing, and we need to find her Max.
“She’s not- she can’t be- where is Rachel?”
Chloe’s voice sounded so weak, fragile, and tired, as she stammered and tears silently ran down her face. Max could just barely make out Nathan’s own glistening eyes as he whispered, “I’m so s-s-sorry…”
“No, no, not Rachel!” Chloe’s voice became louder as she sobbed, prompting everyone else in the room to start crying. “Where is she, Prescott?! Where the fuck is she?” Chloe screamed at him, sadness overwhelming her.
“T-The junkyard, at the back b-by the train tracks… Max, please, he’ll know you’re here, you need to rewind, go back, please don’t come here…”
“Rewind? You fucking told him?!”
“The vision, i-it changed, he was in it Chloe! A-and he, he didn’t steal that photo, I gave it to him. T-there’s so much I hid from you… but you’re not going to remember it, okay? I need to rewind, so he won’t find us!”
“He? Who’s he? What the fuck is going on?”
“Wait, he? Nathan, what do you mean, he? Who is behind this?”
Nathan’s eyes widened, a tear spilling over that he wiped away immediately.
“I… I don’t… I can’t… please, please go, you’re already the next target, Max.”
“The…” Max trailed off, too horrified to think about the whole situation, but pulled Chloe by the arm and rushed up the stairs and out of the barn. Chloe was, unsurprisingly, silent in the whole thirty seconds it took for Max to leave. She raised her hand to rewind but Chloe grabbed it.
“No. I need to see her, now.”
“Chloe, I will tell you everything, but we need to be safe now, we can’t raise suspicion.”
“But-“
“No. You heard what he said, I’m already the next target! I don’t want to end up like Kate, or Rachel! We need to go back.”
Chloe’s grip slacked, and dropped her hand to her side. She took a deep breath in and whispered, “Okay.”
Max concentrated, feeling her body pull back in time as the world began to blur and speed up around her. She watched as the wind whipped through the trees, Nathan shuffling out of the gap in the wall backward and heading back towards his truck, the truck skidding out of the clearing and didn’t stop until she saw her former self wander around the barn. Consequently, that moment was as far back as she could go, and her head split into a killer migraine and blood streaked down from her nostril. Max wiped it away and ran around to the front, yelling for Chloe.
“Chloe? Chloe, we need to get back to the truck!”
“What? But we-“
“I had to rewind. I know where she is!”
Chloe’s face dropped and her mouth fell open. “Where?” She whispered.
“She’s at the junkyard, Chloe.”
“What? No, no we’ve been there, she wouldn’t hide from us… she wouldn’t hide from me!”
“She’s not hiding Chloe! We need to go, now!”
Chloe’s hands shook lightly on the wheel, almost making them skid as she sped the roads to the junkyard. Max was silent, thinking over everything she had just found out.
She couldn’t trust Nathan, not that she should have in the first place, she scolded herself. She was so conflicted about him claiming to not have drugged Kate, but Kate isn’t one to lie. She gives me this deprecating look every time she enters my room and remembers I barely remember to water Lisa. But still, it hit her hard to feel like he betrayed her, which he would not even know about now because she rewound. At his request! Who the fuck does he think he is? Acting like he actually cares about me- wait, does he care?
Max’s face paled, then went red all over. Does he care about me too? But Max didn’t have time to think anything further about it, as the truck grind to a halt as they pulled up to the junkyard. Chloe jumped out, slamming the door and bolted towards the train tracks, Max following albeit a little slower and wheezing a little bit.
“Chloe… huff huff… slow down!”
But she ignored her, not stopped until they found a secluded area near the tracks, still within the junkyard’s line. She started digging, and Max as well when she arrived. No sooner did they hit something soft and released the foul stench of rotten flesh.
“Ugh, the smell!”
“No, no, Rachel!” Chloe cried, as the iconic blue feather earring was unearthed and she stumbled away, retching and vomiting.
“No, Rachel! Why-y-y….” Chloe broke down and sobbed. Max held her head as she cried with her.
“I’m s-s-sorry, Chloe…”
A few hours later, the girls lay on top of the covers in Chloe’s room holding hands, Chloe resting her head on Max’s shoulder. They didn’t talk, just listened as the wind blew gently outside and waves from the beach crashed in the distance. Chloe sighed lightly for what felt like the thousandth time before Max turned her head to face Chloe.
“What are we going to do now?”
“We’re going to confront that son of a bitch tonight at the party."
“In front of everyone?”
“He’s a fucking killer, Max, of course in front of everyone. He’s not going to shoot up the party.”
“He might, you’ve seen how he waves the gun around. I… I don’t think we should go."
Max still felt pretty numb, knowing what he had done but still drawn to him. She wished desperately that she could switch the timelines and be a better friend to Chloe, not have left for Seattle and built her own perfect world. But unfortunately, things happen for some reason and she can’t change it.
“Don’t go? Why?“
“I just have a bad feeling about it, okay?”
She didn’t tell Chloe about his warning, that she was “next”, and not to go to the party. Not that she could tell her, not without spilling those beans again. And anyway, next for what? Next to be drugged and photographed? Will she end up like Kate who wished she was dead, or killed and buried like Rachel?
“We will be fine, alright? I have a gun too, remember? Let’s just change and look like we fit in until we find him.”
“Fine."
They sat up together, and Max got off the bed to look through the wardrobe while Chloe rolled a joint.
“I think I have something that might fit, but it’s not really your style. Only option though.”
“Sooo… what is it?”
“I still can’t believe this is the only thing of yours that fits me. 'Look like we fit in'? Have you seen the shit people at Blackwell wear, Chloe?”
Max’s hair was tied into a messy bun that took a good ten minutes to do and redo before Chloe got sick of her fidgeting and fixed it for her. She wore a black crop top with a halter neck that felt like a scratchy cotton material and was almost too tight around her waist. An old pair of Chloe’s ripped jeans hugged the curves just above her hips and exposed the fishnets Chloe insisted she put on, despite Max’s protests. A bleached denim jacket from her freshman days at Blackwell hung off her shoulders and Chloe had forced some red lipstick on her, lining her eyes with eyeliner and making them pop.
“If they were cooler then they could fit in with us, maybe.”
“The people at school are stuck-up preppy art snobs, not hipster grunge assholes!”
“Whatever, you look hot anyways. Reckon Warren is going?”
Max had literally forgotten about Warren in the past few days. She barely had time to see him, much less remember that they- oh shit. Max was meant to go on a date with him in a few weeks, but here she is feeling sorry for herself because she likes Nathan. She was such a sucky friend.
“I don’t know… I haven’t spoken to him for a few days.”
“Oh my god, what happened? Did he do something? Did you do something?”
Max almost slapped her hand against her face, but Chloe pulled at it with a growl, “Don’t mess up my art! What happened?”
“Literally nothing happened, I’ve just been so busy looking for Rachel with you and figuring out this storm shit with- uh, I mean, I just haven’t had the time you know? It’s been a fucked week.”
Chloe sighed, pulling her hand away again. “Yeah, I know."
“I’m just so tired of feeling responsible for it all, like I’m in the middle of this and it’s my fault! And I think it is! I started getting these visions on the day I saved you and I… I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
Max dropped onto the bed, holding the side of her face and making sure to not mess anything up that would make her endure Chloe’s pissy attitude.
“Yeah but Max, you were given these powers for a reason! Maybe you were meant to prevent the storm!”
“But why me? I’m a hipster nobody on a scholarship to a school I don’t fit in at! I’m the most normal, invisible person there is! I’m just sick of all this pressure to save the town.”
“Max, you’re feeling that pressure because you’re a good person. If you were a piece of shit like Victoria or Nathan then you would be fine to use your powers how you want then leave this shit hole for the storm to destroy.”
“I don’t think they would do that. This is their home too.”
At least, Nathan wouldn’t. But then again, can I trust any fucking word out of his mouth?
“Point is, it sucks to be the good guy, but you do the best you can and in your case you can get a do-over, alright? Now let’s go.”
They arrived at Blackwell as the sun had completely disappeared below the horizon, letting the dim strip lights of the school that were swarmed with moths light their path. A few people lingered around the entrance and the grounds, dressed in club clothing and holding various drinks. Max look around at everyone and up at the stars and- what the fuck?
“Chloe, look! It’s a double moon…”
“Cool, it’s a fucking lunar eclipse, now let's go,” Chloe said monotonously, and pulled Max by the arm, up the stairs. As the girls head up the stairs, an inebriated Warren stumbled into Max.
“Woahhhh, Mad Max, where’ve you beeeeeen?”
“Uh, just around Warren. I’m sorry I can’t stop, I need to-“
“Maaaaaax, you look sooo hot toniiiight, what did you do to your face?” He asked with half lidded eyes, trying to swipe a hand across her face. Max stepped back but held out a hand to catch it.
“Warren, how much have you had to drink?”
“Not a lot! Don’t be mean! But let’sssss get a photooo, please? The moons make it feel like it really is the end of the woooorld…”
“Just one, I really need to go Warren,” Max said impatiently as Chloe tapped her foot on the sidewalk. As Warren raised the camera, she felt his arm drop over her shoulders and she almost dropped the quick smile she had put on. Once the flash hit her, Chloe grabbed her hand and pulled on her, whining, “Let’s go already!”
“Sorry Warren, bye Warren!” Max called out as she left him alone under the lights.
Entering the pool, their eyes had to adjust to the dim coloured lighting set up in various corners of the large room.
“Max?” She heard her name being called faintly, and headed towards with Chloe by her side.
“Stella? You’re working the Vortex Club party?”
“They’re paying me at least! I didn’t know you’d be coming!”
“I didn’t think I would! This is Chloe, by the way!” At her name, Chloe dipped her head towards Stella and clicked her tongue, to which Stella smiled albeit somewhat hesitantly.
“Oh, by the way, have you seen Nathan?”
“I just started so I’m not sure if he’s in yet or not, but if he is he’s probably in the VIP area, douchey as usual!”
“Great, bye.” Chloe bluntly said to Stella, and once again pulled Max by her wrist past the curtains separating the entrance from the party. The music suddenly became louder and lights flickered all around the room. Most, if not all, of the attendees had drinks in their hands, and some were jumping into the pool and swimming. Funnily enough, they did fit right in, clothing-wise. Chloe tapped on Max’s shoulder, mouthing that looked like “I’ll go that way" and pointed to her right, then started walking away. Blinking once, Max shook her head, a little at stunned at how easily Chloe ditched her. Whatever though.
Max started heading around the left side of the pools, ducking her head into the changing rooms and continuing on when she saw he wasn’t any of the occupants. In the far corner was a bar that Courtney was sitting at.
“Max! Looks like you took my advice!” Courtney beamed, looking her up and down. Max shifted from foot to foot, feeling a little uncomfortable, before replying, “Uh, yeah, my friend Chloe thought this would look nice on me. Have you seen Nathan?”
She shook her head and almost fell off the stool and Max rushed to her side to steady her.
“Woah, settle down!”
“I’m fine! Nah I haven’t seen him, but I left Sarah to do VIP duty like half an hour ago so maybe he’s gone in now!”
“Okay, thanks!”
“Max?” Courtney called to her as she began to head around the side of the pool
“Yeah?”
“Have fun, and stay safe!” Courtney finished with a suggestive wiggle of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows and tilt of her head.
Max felt even more uncomfortable and blushed, turning and walking away fast. Halfway to the VIP desk, she bumped into someone hard and fell to the ground.
“Oww…” Max rubbed her knees as she shifted onto her butt from her position on all fours.
“Jesus, watch where- I told you not to come, Max!”
She froze, with a combination of fear, anger and something she didn’t want to label anymore in her blood. Nathan held out a hand to help her up but he looked pretty scared himself. She didn’t take his hand, electing to push herself up off the ground instead, and glared at him with a finger pointed at his chest.
“You do not get to tell me what to do, Nathan Prescott. Do not ever fucking talk to me again.”
“What the hell? What’s going on?”
She grabbed his wrist and dragged him into a quiet corner and had his back against the wall as she went off on him.
“You fucking LIED to me is what’s going on! I know everything, okay? Fucking EVERYTHING!” She almost screamed at him, trying desperately not to draw attention to them as his face paled as white as a sheet.
“You what? How did you find out? There are cameras there, Max!”
“I know, you told me! I had to rewind to save my ass! But not that it matters since I’m your next target right? Who the fuck are you working for?”
His eyes widened, darting around the room and he looked absolutely petrified.
“Is this why you were being kinda nice this week? Like the bare minimum? I thought you were improving, I thought… you know what, it’s fucking stupid. I can’t believe I ever thought we might’ve been friends in some weird twisted way.”
“Friends…” Nathan’s eyes locked on something in the distance and Max made to turn her head to see where he was looking at, but then became extremely occupied when he grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her.
This kiss felt nothing like the sweet, high school lover’s kiss that Max gave Nathan in the alternate timeline. This one felt desperate, as if he wouldn’t ever see her again and was begging for one good memory with her that they could both remember for a lifetime. It felt like he was terrified of whatever was behind her and couldn’t expose her to the horror of it. She tried to squirm out of it a little, before he whispered between kisses, “Please, just go with it.”
“This is a bad idea,” she whispered back, “Please, just tell me what’s going on. You can trust me.”
She reached up and gently wrapped her hands around his elbows and a sigh escaped her lips without her permission. A low moan rumbled in his throat as he deepened the kiss, running his tongue over the edges of her lips as if asking her permission and well, she wasn’t going to stop now. He spun them around so Max was now against the wall and moved his hands to her thighs, lifting her and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Max could barely believe this was happening. She’s a shy little hipster with a polaroid camera and she’s at a Vortex Club party, making out with Nathan Prescott and dressed up like Chloe. Oh my god, Chloe.
As Nathan moved his focus onto her neck, her eyes flew open and she scanned what little she could see of the room with as much concentration as she could muster. Chloe was nowhere to be found and thankfully people were still either ignoring the corner they were occupying or were yet to notice them. This quickly dropped as a priority on the list as Nathan nipped a particularly sensitive spot below her jaw. She gasped and brushed her hands through his hair, pulling his head back enough to slip her own lips back onto his. Her own hair was hanging around her shoulders again, her borrowed hair tie long lost at that point.
“Nathan,” she breathed, “what’s going on? What are you hiding?”
“Don’t,” he growled, “not now."
“Okay,” she quickly agreed, capturing his lips again. She missed the furious steps heading in their direction.
“Max! What the fuck is going on?” Chloe’s furious screaming had Max frozen, but Nathan just rolled his eyes and didn’t lose grip on Max’s waist.
“A good time, now fuck off."
Chloe grabbed his shoulder, turning him towards her and punched him in the nose. This made Max drop from her place on the wall and she fell flat on her ass as Nathan stumbled back into the area above her.
“Chloe, stop!” She quickly crawled out of the way before Nathan sat on her and stood up. Her lipstick was smudged all over her face and a bit down her neck from where Nathan was kissing her.
“Max, you’re going to defend this fuckin’ perv? He was assaulting you!”
“It’s not assault when I wanted it, Chloe.”
“You what?” Max heard both Chloe and Nathan say this incredulously, their eyes widening.
“I know he’s done bad things Chloe, and I know you have issues with people leaving you and I’m not, I will never leave you, but I really, really fucking like him.”
Oh my god, what have I done?
The three of them stood in shock and silence as the party raged around them for a moment, before a microphone squeaked with feedback and Mr Jefferson called for the room’s attention, the three of them turning to face him.
“Hey everyone! I won’t take up too much time, but it is time to announce the winner of the Everyday Hero contest! There were some great entries, and I’m sad that some of you didn’t enter, but I guess we can’t change the past now, can we?” Chloe snorted derisively as the DJ passed him the envelope with the winner’s name in it.
“And the winner is… wow, what a surprise, it's Victoria Chase. Round of applause, everyone!”
Half-hearted applause filled the room as she took to the stage, blabbering on about how she was so honoured to receive the award. Max felt pretty insulted when she finished by dedicating the award to Kate, and clearly wasn’t alone as someone called out, “You suck, Victoria!”
Max felt a buzz in her pocket and took her phone out. A new text lit up the screen and, forgetting their prior argument, Nathan and Chloe leant over her shoulders to read it. She felt Nathan snake an arm around her waist as she read it aloud, “glad you got one last look at rachel, no one will ever find her again after im done.”
“The burner phone…” Nathan whispered, his grip on her slacking a little, then tightened again. “We need to go, now. He’s going to hide her again.”
The trip to the junkyard was fast, as Nathan sped from the school in his truck. The girls sat along the bench next to him, Max between the two, resting her hand on his upper thigh absentmindedly. He glanced down at it every few seconds, then at Chloe who was staring out the window with her arms crossed, and back to the road. They argued for nearly ten minutes about whose car to take that Max eventually rewound and decided for them.
The truck skidded up to the gate, Chloe barely waiting for it to stop as she hopped out and ran for Rachel. Max slid out after her, not stopping even when Nathan called for her to wait up. She switched on her phone light and ran after Chloe. She caught up, and they came to a stop where Rachel was buried and started digging.
“Oh thank god, she’s still here,” Chloe sighed with relief. Max stood up, trying to catch her breath as she replied, “Don’t look, Chloe.” She stumbled back, bumping into a body who wrapped their arm around her waist tightly and stuck someth- a needle, a needle into her neck. She knew by the immediate sting she felt and the cool substance she felt inject into her neck. The person dropped the needle behind them, wrapping their other arm around her and lowered her to the ground as she stumbled and tried to fight against them, feeling weaker by the second.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, he made me do it, please forgive me…” she heard them whisper. It felt so familiar and inviting that she relaxed into them. She was laid on the ground, her eyes closed, and on the border of passing out when she heard them say, “She doesn’t know. She never suspected a thing."