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Life Is Bizarre

Summary:

Life at Blackwell Academy is getting bizarre when Max Caulfield discovers she isn't the only one who has strange abilities that changes everything she thought she knew.

In other words, the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure AU that nobody asked for.

Updates Fridays

Notes:

Hello! I return from a hellish Writer's Block and journey of self discovery! I present to you work on autistic super interests of mine combined in an unholy combination of gay. I'm very proud of this story so far, and excited for people to read it. Once I finish this, I will go back and finish other stories of mine as well.

WARNING: Both media covers pretty heavy topics and themes, including suicide, self harm, depression, death, gore, sometimes violence against animals, and SA. I will try to keep certain themes to be not very offensive, but some I will lean into (specifically the violence and depression, I will not be doing too much of the more despicable things) I will put some warnings up right before certain possible triggers, but I can't know when some will be needed. I won't be putting them before violence as combat, blood, and injury/gore is simply going to be too common in this story.

I hope you enjoy and look forward to this story! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed or you want to voice displeasure with certain things!

Chapter 1: The Reality of Nightmares

Chapter Text

Photography is the art of capturing a moment of time to be preserved like a caveman in a block of ice. Photographs save a moment of history to be looked back on in retrospect, to speak a message about the times. But what if they aren’t just that one moment? 

 

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Max Caulfield made her way through the halls of the dorms on the warm October day. She stayed up too late last night getting photos of the stars to wind down after she had spent all weekend working on her submission for the Everyday Heroes Contest, with nothing to show for it. She barely made it out of the building with brushed teeth and hair to get to her morning classes on time. She had thrown on her standard converse, skinny jeans, and gray hoodie over a graphic tee. She almost forgot her messenger bag, even!

Mathematics and chemistry were never Max’s strong suits. Her strongest ability was her photography, and it was at least good enough to get her a scholarship at Blackwell Academy, Arcadia Bay, Oregon’s premier school. 

But by the time she got to her final class, Photography with Mark Jefferson, she was simply too tired at the end of the day to stay up and pay attention. Besides, she had read ahead, so she shouldn’t miss anything. It’d be fine, right? 

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Rumbling thunder, or an earthquake, or a stampede brought the bleary teen out of her sleep. When had she left class? It was dark, like a cloudy night right before a big storm. Though, it was already storming with ice cold pellets of rain pelting her face and arms. Max pulled herself up with difficulty. She wasn’t athletic and the weight of her water logged clothes wasn’t helping. 

‘Where am I?’ A quick survey told her ‘the woods.’ A longer examination told her ‘near the lighthouse.’ The rumbling didn’t quiet, sending a cold bolt up her spine as adrenaline fueled her systems to move . She stumbeld to her feet, nearly knocking her to the ground. Mud caked her hands as she pushed herself up. She had a destination in mind, and she made her way towards it. 

She slowly stepped through the woods, pushing through the wind that threatened to push her to the ground. She tripped once or twice when the wind blew so fiercely that she couldn’t keep her eyes open. After battling nature for several minutes all along her trek she broke through a clearing. She was immediately hit with the full force of the wind no longer being impeded by the trees. 

The image Max caught was burned into her eyelids. The home she had left, the beach and skyline that had brought her such comfort for her childhood. It was being destroyed by a storm. The storm was massive, the largest she’d ever seen fictional or otherwise. Her heart dropped like the cinderblock her captain dropped into that pond nearly a decade ago. 

“Oh god…” Max mumbled. Her knees felt weak. What could she do? What should she do? 

She wouldn’t have the chance to decide upon an action. The sound of crumbling stone had the lighthouse descending upon her in seconds. The last thought she had was that she didn’t even have time to scream-

 

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Max jolted upright with a barely restrained scream in her throat. With wide eyes and hammering heart she tried to reorient herself. ‘Mr. Jefferson’s class? I’m… here?’ She planted her head in her hands and rubbed her eyes. ‘I can’t do that again. Sleep deprivation like that probably makes my dreams and anxiety worse. Besides, I don’t want to disappoint Mr. Jefferson.’  

Adrenaline coursed through Max’s veins. Her heart was pounding, but it was s lowing down. The classroom always brought her a sense of calm. It was her element. It was her teacher’s element. Mark Jefferson, the professional photographer that retired to the small town of Arcadia Bay to teach. According to the interview he gave he wanted to get away from all the fame. He was a smart looking man, short hair and a short beard that was all well groomed. He wore a nice black blazer over a clean dress shirt with comfortable jeans and loafers. 

A paper ball flew across the class to hit a modestly dressed girl in the face. The girl winced slightly, but didn’t otherwise make towards the projectile. The girl was Kate Marsh, Max’s best friend at Blackwell. She wore a traditional Christian outfit, a gray skirt and a black cardigan over a white shirt with a small golden cross adorning her neck. Her beautiful dirty blonde hair was done up into a neat bun, though it was noticeably messier than she usually kept it. 

Daniel was sketching a doodle in the margins of his notes. What it was Max couldn’t see, but she knew it was good. She had talked to him at the start of the year when it was time for ice breakers. Apparently he wanted to learn to make his compositions better artistically. He and Kate were both artists and Max thought they had so much talent. 

Victoria Chase answered Mr. Jefferson’s question flawlessly, her cherry lips annunciating every little syllable. She was the best in the class, hell, maybe in the whole school. Victoria certainly carried herself like she was. Her clothes were beautiful, fitting her as if they were custom tailored to match every little curve of her body. Knowing how wealthy Victoria seemed to be with the cameras she used, her clothes probably were custom tailored. Her array of outfits was vast; today she wore a black cashmere with a short gray skirt over long pantyhose. Max tore her eyes from Victoria’s crossed legs, it wasn’t polite to stare and she didn’t want to risk angering the pixie blonde. 

Jefferson smiled proudly as he praised her. Max checked the clock and to her dismay the second hand had only made its way halfway around the clock. Everything was moving in a bullet time. She could count the motes of dust falling through the afternoon sun’s rays.

‘Screw the risk, I need to try to do something to calm down.’ Max grabbed her camera and aimed it at herself before taking the shot. The bright flash of white like a snap cut back to reality and the familiar click and whirr of the polaroid camera steadying her heart and calming her mind. 

“Look everyone, Max Caulfield has just taken what your generation calls, a ‘selfie’. A crude name for a wonderful form of photography.” His warm brown eyes pierced her now, the glasses atop the bridge of his nose doing nothing to impede the stare, “Now Max, please tell us who created the first self portraiture in photography.” 

Of course, Max was prepared. She had read ahead, after all. The photographer that took the first selfie was-

‘It was… oh no…’ Her thoughts were muddled with pictures of a bay assaulted by a perfect storm. A feeling of wet cold on her fingertips that wasn’t there when she touched something. Her heart hammered against her ribcage. “I… I did know, but-” 

Jefferson slammed his palm against the empty desk he was leaned against, “You either know this or you don’t, Max.” Her heart dropped as the tone and expression of disappointment were palpable. He glanced around the room, “Anyone else actually know the answer here?” 

Max tuned the rest out. Victoria answered, but Max was more focused on stealthily packing her things now. Humiliation wasn’t a great feeling, but she decided it was better than the feeling that she was just whisked away from the maw of death itself. The bell rang as she gently and carefully packed her camera away in her messenger bag before shouldering it. 

Kate Marsh was staring at her blank notebook with an unreadable expression. Max wanted to leave, get away from the embarrassment. But then she knew she couldn’t leave another friend behind. 

“Hey Kate? Are you okay?” Max waved. 

Kate blinked out of her stupor before looking up at her friend. “Oh, hey Max,” she said softly as she always did, but today her voice held no focus as if she was barely there. Max’s eyes drifted towards the unopened paper ball near Kate’s chair. Kate spoke before Max could continue, “Sorry Max, can we talk later? I need to speak to Mr. Jefferson.” 

“Oh! Sure, Kate! We’ll talk later.” The girls waved goodbye and Max made her way to the door. 

“Max Caulfield, don’t even think about walking out this door before we talk about your Everyday Heroes submission.” 

‘No, please just let me go…’ Max whined internally as she turned around. Victoria was scowling at her because of course she was. Max was just disappointing everyone today, wasn’t she. Next thing she knows her mom is going to call her and tell her that she needs to do better. “Uhm, y-yes Mr. Jefferson?” 

Victoria moved to the side and crossed her arms. Jefferson glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, “We can speak later, Victoria.” Victoria looked like she wanted to object, but she ultimately didn’t. Max hugged her arm nervously. Kate was still in the room, but it’d probably be more embarrassing that her best friend had to witness her shame.

“Now Max,” Jefferson interrupted her spiral of anxiety, “I noticed you hadn’t turned in a photo for the contest last Friday, when it was due. I know you know how important it is to get your work out there, and contests are the perfect way to get your work noticed.” He patted a manila folder on his desk, “I have everyone else’s submissions. I was particularly disappointed to not see a polaroid in here.” 

Max turned her head away. She couldn’t face him. She couldn’t tell him that she had a photo she could use and that she got it taken before the due date. She couldn’t tell him that she spent the weekend trying to get the perfect shot because he deserved that from her. That photo burned in her bag, begging to be released and handed to him. 

Jefferson sighed in disappointment, “Come on, Max, you are so talented. You are an amazing photographer,” he gently grasped her shoulder with a gentle reassuring squeeze, “you just need to apply all that wonderful talent you have! Now, do you have a submission with you? I’ll gladly take it now, I know you get nervous, and that shouldn’t exclude you from this wonderful opportunity.” 

Max felt her fingers twitch. ‘Should I?’ She could feel the photo grazing her fingertips despite her hand not being in her bag. It tickled. It itched. ‘He’s right, as per usual. This would be a great chance to get my work seen, and he could give me tips to really improve…’ She looked into his eyes. They were warm, hopeful. Expecting. 

She pulled out of his grasp, “I’m sorry, I forgot about it. I don’t have anything.” She couldn’t let those expectations he had of her down. If he saw her original idea, the picture she had gotten that Friday morning? No, better to take a hit on the grade rather than have your hero laugh at a goddamn selfie .

Jefferson let out a harsh sigh, “If you keep letting opportunities like this slip through your fingertips you won’t get anywhere in the world of photography, Max!” He took a calming breath, “I want to make sure that talent within you is realized. Your ability to perfectly capture your subjects is rare, especially in candid. Please remember the dates better next time.” 

Max nodded. “Of course, sir.” 

Jefferson laughed this time, “Please, no honorifics. You make me sound a decade older than I am. I will wait until the end of today to accept your submission, in case you get some last minute inspiration.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Jefferson.” 

Max left the room in a hurry, only pausing outside the door to put in her headphones to drown out her thoughts and the end of day cacophony in the halls. A splash of water would do the trick to get her back in the headspace to get work done. She made her way to the women’s restroom to the soft beat of To All Of You by Syd Matters . It was a good one to play to decompress for her. She loved the soft guitar notes that softened her coarse mind. 

She entered the bathroom and pulled her headphones out. She’d finish the song later when there wasn’t a threat of damaging her headphones with water. A quick scan of the floor told her she was alone. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She splashed water in her face and rubbed her heavy eyes. The water was cold, refreshing in a way. It also reminded her of her dream. 

‘The last time I remember a tornado was when I was a kid at Chloe’s.’ The tornado was incredibly mild. It only really damaged the surrounding woods, and their great pirate hideout. Great, now she’s thinking of Chloe. Hot shame burned through her. 

Max pulled out her submission. The picture she had taken of herself in front of her photo wall. It was a goddamn selfie. Victoria would laugh at her, the ‘selfie ho of Blackwell’ wasn’t an incorrect summary of Max’s work. Everyone would agree. Chloe would have. ‘She’d hate me.’  

Her eyes squeezed shut. ‘I don’t deserve to win. I don’t deserve to have the chance, I can’t take pictures like Victoria or Mr. Jefferson. Why the hell did I come back?’ A wretched tear echoed off the walls. She opened her eyes and the photo was in two halves fluttering into a puddle beneath the sink. 

Max slumped her shoulders. “Why can’t I do anything right?” 

Out of the corner of her eye, a brilliant blue butterfly. It didn’t look native, at least according to Max’s memory of childhood. It flew in from the window, fluttering to the back of the room where the janitor’s cart rests alongside the fire alarm. It was a magnetic electric blue, one that called Max to it. She felt her hand go towards the camera. She rounded the corner and away from anyone that may enter the room.

She brought the camera to her face and aimed the lens at the creature that had perched upon a metal bucket. The familiar click and whirr and the photo developed. She shook the picture and smiled. It was pleasing. A soft and encouraging photo in a way. 

The door opened suddenly. Someone was at the sink, muttering to himself. ‘Wait, is that a guy? This is the girl’s restroom!’ Fear spiked through her in a cold dread when she recognized the voice belonged to Nathan Prescott. The president of the Vortex Club, one of the most important people of all of Arcadia Bay these days. He wasn’t even trying to blend in with any crowd. He wore the inconspicuous red jacket over a plain white button up and jeans. He leaned over the sink, bracing himself against the sides.

“It’s cool, Nathan, you got this. Just gotta show her who’s boss. Nobody fucks with you,” he pointed into the mirror, “You’re Nathan Fucking Prescott. You own this school, this town. You could blow it up! Heh.” 

The door opened then. A girl stepped in, around Max’s age. The first thought Max had was that she would be a fun model. Her vibe was unapologetically Punk. A spiked bracelet, leather jacket, tattoos, ripped jeans, it would’ve been stereotypical if the outfit didn’t suit the girl. The next thought she had was that her hair was a bright electric blue, just like that butterfly, but more electric somehow like it was charged by a bolt of lightning. It was vibrant and alluring. 

“Alright, we alone? You checked the perimeter as my stepass would say?” The girl was checking the stalls. She was about to get to the back corner, but thankfully Nathan interrupted. 

“Yeah, we’re alone.” 

“Good, now let’s talk bidness.” The girl paced behind the boy. 

“We don’t got nothin’ to talk about.” 

The girl slammed her hands on the side of the sink Nathan was leaning over, “Bullshit! We got hella to talk about!” She leaned in to his hanging head, “You’ve got money, and I have info on you.” 

“My family’s got money, not me.” 

“Doesn’t change the fact that I got hella info on you. Doesn’t change the fact that if you don’t find some money everyone’s gonna find out that Nathan Prescott is a punk ass bitch who sells drugs to kids and compensates for the fact that he can’t please daddy-” 

Max barely contained a gasp as Nathan Prescott drew a pistol from his waist and aimed it at the blue haired girl. “Leave my family out of this, bitch!” 

Max felt the spike of adrenaline run through her veins. “Woah, okay, Nathan, let’s put that down-” the girl held up her hands. 

“Shut up!” Nathan snapped, the gun jostling dangerously as he brandished it. “Nobody tells me what to do. Nobody!” He stepped closer and shoved the gun against the girl’s abdomen as she stepped back. 

“You’re gonna get into hella more trouble than drugs, Nathan ,” the girl threatened like a cornered animal. She almost was a cornered animal, her back was only a few inches from being flush with the wall. She had defiance in her eyes, a defiance Nathan didn’t like. 

Max looked around her for anything that might help-

“I’m Nathan PRESCOTT. NOBODY tells me what to do, NOBODY can control me. I AM A FUCKING GOD!” 

Max felt her breath catch as she spotted a blue shimmer around the girl’s arm. It looked like… a hand? She didn’t have time to dwell on it though, “Get that gun away from me, psycho!” 

As the girl shoved Nathan back the gunshot deafeningly rang out. Max shot out from the corner, “No!” 

She froze at the sight. Why was there so much blood? Max had never seen someone get shot before, is this what it was like? 

Nathan dropped the gun. It bounced heavily once and settled with a metallic clatter. He turned slowly. From his left elbow was a new appendage, a black and red one. Was it red naturally? Was it blood? There was a hole in the girl’s abdomen. Max could see the disconnected veins, the destroyed organs, shards of bone that remained in the body. Max felt lightheaded, and sick. Bile crawled up her throat. 

The girl slid to the floor, grabbing at the blood coming from the gaping hole. She attempted to scoop it back in even as more of the thick liquid oozed out. “F-fuck… fucking fuck…” the girl gurgled. She was pale before, skin tone not out of place amongst a field of stars of Bethlehem. But now it was like she was already a cadaver. “H-help… somebody… Ra…” The girl slumped into a pile on the floor. Her eyes were open. Her hands relaxed. The body settled, like an old house. The muscles that had been constantly tense for all the girl’s life finally rested. Trails of tears were beginning to dry. 

Nathan was saying something, grabbing Max’s arm. She couldn’t hear him. She could only hear the rushing turbulent waters of her blood in her veins. 

“Oh god…” And then it all went dark.

Chapter 2: A Brand New Sensation

Summary:

Max Caulfield awakes from a nightmare and discovers she is no longer normal. Can she use this new abnormality to change fate?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Max jolted upright with a barely restrained scream in her throat. With wide eyes and a hammering heart she tried to reorient herself. ‘Mr. Jefferson’s class? I’m… here?’ She planted her head in her hands and rubbed her eyes. Adrenaline suddenly surged through Max’s veins. ‘Wait, what the hell?,’ her eyes drifted to the clock, ‘I’m back in class? That girl! Nathan! I need to get to the bathroom!’ 

Everything moved slowly to her hyperactive mind. The paper ball that flew across the class to hit Kate Marsh in the face. Daniel sketching a doodle in the margins of his notes. Victoria answering Mr. Jefferson’s question flawlessly. Jefferson’s kind and proud smile as he praised the blonde. Max checked the clock again and to her dismay the second hand had only made its way halfway around the clock. 

‘Okay, calm down, Max. You’re dreaming. No, that isn’t right. That wasn’t a dream. That girl was murdered and…’ her hand clasped over her mouth. ‘Can I see the future? Is that what I can do? Why can I see into the future? How can I see into the future?’ Max made to stand up. She planted her palms on the desk, but her left hand bumped her camera, sending it flying off the edge of the desk.

“Shit!” Her left hand moved too slowly. The camera was about to fly off the edge. But to her amazement a hand flew out of hers. It made to catch the camera, but it was only connected at the wrist, so it didn’t get far enough to catch the polaroid before the camera crashed to the hard tiled floor. It shattered like it was made of glass. 

Max would have mourned the loss of her most important belonging, but the hand was still there. It was captivating. It was terrifying. It was translucent, like a ghost. But it didn’t feel cold or anything. It felt… normal . ‘Is that my hand? It’s covering my hand like a glove…’ She did an experimental movement. The ghost hand twitched first, then her physical hand twitched next. 

Max glanced up and looked around to see if anyone else saw her hand. Nobody was looking at her. Jefferson was at the board drawing a diagram. Victoria was looking at her phone discreetly. Kate was looking down at her blank notebook. 

‘Okay so me being crazy isn’t out of the question I guess.’ She looked to her right hand and found a similar anomaly. She decided to do what Warren would do: be scientific. 

The hand was a light blue, thin and lithe like her own hand, but the knuckles were soft pink hearts with the points running down the center of her fingers. At the tips of those fingers on the right hand were… strings? They were hanging in the air, and the further they got from the fingertips the more they faded until they were no longer visible. ‘What the…?’ She reached out to the strings and did an experimental tug. They were tight, but not immoveable. She pulled a little more. 

Motion out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. To her amazement, she saw her camera float back up onto the desk undamaged. When she released the strings The camera remained in its position on the desk. 

‘Okay, I’m either crazy… or I can rewind time. Which means that girl is still alive!’ She checked the clock again. ‘I need to get to the bathroom now . Maybe I can ask Mr. Jefferson for permission to use the bathroom? Maybe if I just leave and then explain later he’ll-’  

*Click* *whirrrrr*

“Look everyone, Max Caulfield has just taken what your generation calls, a ‘selfie’. A crude name for a wonderful form of photography.” His warm brown eyes pierced her now, the glasses atop the bridge of his nose doing nothing to impede the stare, “Now Max, please tell us who created the first self portraiture in photography.” 

Of course, Max was unprepared. She wasn’t sure if she was experiencing reality or not right now, after all how the hell was she supposed to know much less focus on anything that wasn’t a girl getting shot or punched through the stomach or whatever had happened to her? And why did her camera take a picture? Was it still broken? Or was it… the ghost hands? They weren’t there anymore.

“I… I feel sick…” It was true, she felt bile at the back of her throat. Her head was spinning and she felt shaky.

Jefferson slammed his palm against the empty desk he was leaned against, “You either know this or you don’t, Max.” Her heart dropped as the tone and expression of disappointment were palpable. He glanced around the room, “Anyone else actually know the answer here?” 

Max sat dumbfounded. It still hadn’t exactly clicked that she may be a human time traveler. A time traveler with a pair of ghost hands. Victoria answered, the class went by as expected. As it already had. Max squeezed her eyes tightly shut until there were blackspots there. ‘What the hell is going on?’ When she opened her eyes the bell had rung and most of her peers were shuffling out of the classroom. “I need to get to the bathroom,” something her mind could focus wholly on. She could push through the nausea, the headache that throbbed through her skull as if it were going to burst, the weakness in her legs that threatened to make her collapse. She just needed to get to that bathroom. She needed to help that girl.

She made it to the door. “Max Caulfield, don’t even think about walking out this door before we talk about your Everyday Heroes submission.” 

‘No, please not again…’ Max whined internally as she turned around. Victoria was scowling at her because of course she was. She didn't need this right now, lives were at stake. “Uhm, y-yes Mr. Jefferson?” 

Victoria moved to the side and crossed her arms. Jefferson glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, “We can speak later, Victoria.” Victoria looked like she wanted to object, but she ultimately didn’t. A bout of nausea hit Max, she clenched her fists trying to hold it down.

“Max? Are you feeling well?” Jefferson began with concern etched on his face, “You look pale, and you’re sweating bullets. I also noticed you hadn’t turned in a photo for the contest last Friday, when it was due. If you need me to, I can extend the deadline for the submission just for you. I don't want you missing this wonderful opportunity just because you're a little under the weather.” He patted a manila folder on his desk, “I have everyone else’s submissions. It'd be a shame if we weren't able to show off your skills, Max.” 

She needed to get him to leave her alone. Anything to get him off her back. The concern was appreciated, but she really needed to get going. Max felt her fingers twitch. ‘Should I?’ She could feel the photo grazing her fingertips despite her hand not being in her bag. ‘He’s right, of course… and if I remember correctly he’ll keep going for a bit if I don’t do anything.’ She looked into his eyes. They were warm, hopeful. Expecting. 

Max reached into her bag and handed him the photo, “I’m sorry, I forgot about it. I haven’t been feeling well.” 

Jefferson hummed softly, “If you’d like, I have tea with me. We could go over to the teacher’s lounge and I could brew a pot for us?”  

Any other time Max would’ve said yes. She would’ve openly cheered at the chance to have a one on one with her hero. It was a great chance to get hands-on training from him. With the image of that girl sliding down the bathroom wall quivering in a pool of her own blood fresh in her mind she declined with a shake of her head. “N-no thanks, I think I’ll just go to the restroom and then head back to my dorm to get some rest.” 

Jefferson nodded sagely, “Please do, and I hope you get better. This class wouldn’t be the same without you.” He paused for a bit, “And your unique perspective. And remember that if you need help or need to talk about anything at all my door is always open to you.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Jefferson.” 

Max left the room in a hurry, making her way into the bathroom. A quick scan of the floor told her she was alone. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She had time to save that girl. She splashed water in her face and rubbed her heavy eyes. The water was cold, refreshing in a way. It also reminded her of her dream. 

‘That dream felt real. Too real. Was it real?’ Max reached out to the strings. Her hand was covered by that ghost hand again and she felt the fingers graze the strings again. “It’s real…” She willed the gloves to disappear and reappear a few times. It was easier than putting on real gloves. Easier than thinking about doing it. It began to feel like the ghost hands were her own hands. Maybe they were, ‘Is this my ghost?’ It was ridiculous, but then again so was time travel until five minutes ago. 

Out of the corner of her eye, a brilliant blue butterfly. ‘The butterfly again… shoot! I need to hide!’ When she got over to the wall she had an overwhelming desire to take the butterfly’s picture. The ghost hand pulled her left hand, reaching for her bag. Max sighed in defeat, ‘Maybe there need to be some things that are for certain in time?’ she considered as the itch from her wrist grew more annoying. 

She brought the camera to her face and aimed the lens at the creature that had perched upon a metal bucket. The familiar click and whirr and the photo developed. She shook the picture and smiled. It was pleasing. A soft and encouraging photo in a way. Just like before.

The door opened suddenly. Nathan Prescott entered. “It’s cool, Nathan, you got this. Just gotta show her who’s boss. Nobody fucks with you,” he pointed into the mirror, “You’re Nathan Fucking Prescott. You own this school, this town. You could blow it up! Heh.” 

The door opened then. The girl stepped in. “Alright, we alone? You checked the perimeter as my stepass would say?” The girl was checking the stalls. She was about to get to the back corner, but thankfully Nathan interrupted. 

“Yeah, we’re alone.” 

“Good, now let’s talk bidness.” The girl paced behind the boy. 

“We don’t got nothin’ to talk about.” 

The girl slammed her hands on the side of the sink Nathan was leaning over, “Bullshit! We got hella to talk about!” She leaned in to his hanging head, “You’ve got money, and I have info on you.” 

“My family’s got money, not me.” 

“Doesn’t change the fact that I got hella info on you. Doesn’t change the fact that if you don’t find some money everyone’s gonna find out that Nathan Prescott is a punk ass bitch who sells drugs to kids and compensates for the fact that he can’t please daddy-” 

Nathan Prescott drew a pistol from his waist and aimed it at the blue haired girl. “Leave my family out of this, bitch!” 

“Woah, okay, Nathan, let’s put that down-” the girl held up her hands. 

Max looked around frantically. ‘What do I do?’  

“Shut up!” Nathan snapped, the gun jostling dangerously as he brandished it. “Nobody tells me what to do. Nobody!” He stepped closer and shoved the gun against the girl’s abdomen as she stepped back. 

Max spotted the fire alarm. She could break the glass, she could sound the fire alarm. It could stop Nathan. 

“You’re gonna get into hella more trouble than drugs, Nathan ,” the girl threatened like a cornered animal. She almost was a cornered animal, her back was only a few inches from being flush with the wall. She had defiance in her eyes, a defiance Nathan didn’t like. 

“I’m Nathan PRESCOTT. NOBODY tells me what to do, NOBODY can control me. I AM A FUCKING GOD!” 

Max couldn’t find anything to break the glass. She couldn’t find anything! What would she do-

“Get that gun away from me, psycho!” 

Max, with no other options, slammed her fist into the fire alarm button. The ghostly glove formed around her hand in an instant before her hand broke the glass. A deafening ringing blared throughout the school. Nathan’s brows furrowed, “The hell?” 

From the girl's hip a black, blue, and silver leg shot out with the knee slamming into Nathan’s stomach with enough force to cause him to cough a little blood as he was flung backwards. The girl ran out of the bathroom just as quick as the leg shot out and disappeared. 

“D-damn it…” Nathan coughed and sputtered. “Next time I see you, bitch, you’re dead…” He grabbed the pistol and hid it in his pants line before he left the bathroom. 

Max breathed hard. ‘I did it.’

 

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Max stumbled out of the bathroom a minute later. The alarm still blaring, her head throbbing, nausea worsened. But alive. That girl was also still alive. She was a hero. 

“Was that you, missy?” 

What little pride and positive feelings she had flew straight out the window in that moment. Welcome back to Earth, Max Caulfield. 

“Uhm, what?” Max slurred. God she was exhausted. 

The security guard huffed, “Are you high? Why aren’t you outside?” 

“I… felt sick…” her anxiety was skyrocketing. She just wanted to be left alone. Could her ghost hands make her invisible? 

“Mr. Madsen, please go turn that alarm off. I’ll handle this.” Oh no . An older man than the middle aged security guard and even less hairy, Principal Raymond Wells poorly projected an aura of relatability. He was the opposite of what Jefferson was. 

Wells slowly approached Max, his admittedly nice suit just felt like a bit much with the bright purple undershirt and gaudy tie. “Hello, Max. Are you alright? You’re sweating bullets and as pale as a sheet.” 

Max tapped her forehead. She was sweating bullets. Ew. “Uh, yeah, just… not feeling great.” 

Wells narrowed his eyes, “Oh? Not getting up to anything we shouldn’t, correct?” 

Max nodded, then shook her head, “No sir, I’m just not feeling good.” 

Wells scrutinized her more. Max tried to calm herself down, but when the guy who could say one word and her scholarship would disappear faster than the ghost hands could, it was easier said than done. “You didn’t… see anything, did you?” 

Her chance, someone asking her about the truth. If Nathan got in trouble, then the gun might be taken away. He may not be able to hurt anyone ever again. 

Max checked around, and upon finding the coast clear she spoke quietly, “Principal Wells, Nathan was in the women’s bathroom.” 

Wells raised an eyebrow. “Really? What was he doing there?” 

“Another girl went in there and they argued. Then he pulled out a gun on her!” Max whisper yelled. 

“That’s quite a serious accusation, Ms. Caulfield. I assume you have some evidence to back this up?” It was a reasonable request, but the expression on Wells’s face was skeptical. 

And it wouldn’t be disproven, not by Max. “I… n-no, I don’t, I didn’t want to get hurt. I was hiding-” 

“Did you start that alarm?” Wells snapped. His brown eyes were threatening. Dominant, like a dog warning that it was about to bite. 

“N-no! It started and the girl got away and Nathan left! I left after I thought he was gone!” Max explained. 

Wells shook his head with an exasperated sigh, “You know what, I’ve heard enough. You’re excused, but I will need to call your parents about this behavior.” 

Max felt her jaw fall. How did she get in trouble here? She didn’t do anything wrong. Her heart fell to the pit of her nauseous stomach. This all was bad. Maybe… she could rewind time? 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It didn’t go well. Max tried to harness what she had in the classroom with the camera: she reached her hand out to the strings of time and tried to pull time backwards, but it kept slipping. It was as if she was trying to play her guitar but her hands were too clammy and they were shaking like a tree in a storm. Max took steadying breaths, wiped her hand on her jeans, and tried a few more times. Eventually, she was able to rewind to the beginning of the conversation twice.

She realized she couldn’t lie worth a damn, though, and Wells read her like a book. She first tried to lie about the incident to not get into trouble and then tried to try to be more convincing about her ‘accusation’ against Nathan. So she left it at her telling the truth. Maybe there’d be an opportunity to convince Wells later and she could get back on his good side?

Max opened the metal double doors to Blackwell Academy’s central plaza courtyard. The statue of the founder proudly erect, standing tall despite the bird poop covering him. Students ready to get the week over with despite it only being Monday. The gentle wind lightly pushed Max’s bangs and chilled the sheen of sweat over her skin. She felt a shiver through her spine. It was a beautiful, warm sunny day. 

Max’s phone vibrated her bag. She checked it. It was Warren, her nice nerdy friend. He wanted his flashdrive of movies back. ‘Oh no! I completely forgot all about that! Shoot, sorry Warren. ’ She’d need to borrow it later to watch and finally understand his references. 

One thing caught her eye on the way to the dorms: the missing persons posters. They were everywhere, stapled into wherever the clips would hold. On them was a girl, maybe a little older than herself. She had long hair. Probably a chestnut brown or auburn brown hair. She had a feather earring. Beautiful features, her eyes were soft and alluring, her cheeks looked as if they were sculpted out of the softest of marbles, her lips could be likened to the velvety petals of roses. She could be a famous model. She was absolutely captivating to Max. She’d never seen anyone so beautiful, except maybe Victoria. 

Max shook her head. What was she thinking? 

The woman was named Rachel Amber. Daniel had mentioned once that she was his true muse. She could see why, she wanted to get her pictures, capture her candid profiles. She wanted to see an honest smile, not a posed one. 

She sped off towards the dorms. She’d wasted enough time. With the amount of times Warren had helped her with homework and studying she owed him to at least try to hurry. 

Max made it to the dorms. The Prescott Dorms were named so after a very generous donation in 1998, at least according to the plaque on the building. It wasn’t just the girls’ dormitory, either. The boys and girls lived on separate floors with communal restrooms and washrooms for each floor. The outside was a scenic area with little to do but admire the scenery. To encourage students to do so a few benches were installed around the area. 

Kate sat at the one on the furthest bench from the courtyard. Alyssa, a quiet girl with dark hair with a pinkish highlight and dark goth clothes, sat more towards the middle of the dormitory yard. There were other benches open, such as the picnic table. Which begged the question: why was Victoria and her cronies sitting on the steps of the dorm? 

There was no chance Max was going to get past them without taking some emotional damage, so getting it over with quickly was the only option. 

Victoria spotted her immediately. She eyed her up and down with a bored expression. It was a scrutinizing look that analyzed every detail. Max felt woefully inadequate already. Victoria’s face split with a predatory sneer, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the resident selfie ho of Blackwell.” Taylor, the blonde goon on Victoria’s left, chuckled. Courtney, the black haired girl on Victoria’s right, laughed loudly. 

“Damn, Victoria, you’re on a roll today!” Courtney said. Taylor remained wordless. 

Victoria stood up confidently. Taylor remained relaxed, but Courtney seemed unsure of what to do. Victoria began to circle Max. The brunette felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She felt like a brown rabbit in the middle of an open snow field being circled by a bird of prey. 

“You know he only cares about how well you do because if you fail it reflects badly on him. You stumble around this school, bouncing from one class to the other. You don’t even try!” Victoria scoffed, “And what do you use? A piece of junk being used for a frivolous art.” Victoria hissed into Max’s ear, “ Selfies .” 

“It isn’t a piece of junk…” Max grumbled. Victoria rolled her eyes and walked back over to the stairs before taking her seat. 

“Well, your tastes are obviously nothing to speak of. Look at you,” she gestured at Max, “a hoodie and jeans? The same thing you wore all of last week? No new clothes? Poor hipster.” Victoria’s cronies laughed. 

It hurt, to be honest. Max knew it wasn’t in her control the quality of clothes she had. But Victoria spoke with authority, the authority of someone that was doing so much better that she clearly saw and could lay out all Max’s flaws to see on a pedestal in front of the entire congregation. 

Victoria smiled villainously, “Oh, hold that pose,” she pulled out her cellphone. With a quick snap of an electronic click Victoria laughed, “Oh, that’s perfect! Really captures the loser vibe you’ve got!” She put her phone away, “Now why don’t you go fuck your-selfie!” 

“Good one, Victoria!” 

Max clenched her jaw. She willed her hand to close, she could take her anger out in photos later, exploding at Victoria wouldn’t do anything. Taylor and Courtney were still laughing. 

Victoria wasn’t. Her eyes were glued to Max’s hand like it was a dangerous snake a few feet away. Max looked at her with confusion before she looked down. 

Her ghost glove was on. Victoria could see it. Max didn’t know why that filled her with terror. It was weird, sure, but was it really something to be terrified of? 

Victoria had stood up and held her hands up, “Max, I-” 

Max’s hand shot forward instinctively and grasped the strings before tugging tightly on them. It wasn’t easy, but she managed to do it before Victoria got any closer. Something told her nobody should know about this. It needed to be a secret. But it was good to know that people could see the ghost hand/glove. 

Max schooled her features better this time. The jabs at her still stung, but they didn’t pierce nearly as deep this time. 

“Now why don’t you go fuck your-selfie!” 

“Good one, Victoria!” 

The girls sat like bridge trolls. Nobody passes. Max knew they’d get bored eventually, but Max didn’t have the time nor the energy to wait them out. She glanced around a safe distance away. The sprinklers were running. If the water pressure wasn’t measured just right it would make the steps towards the dorms slick in the afternoon before most of the students came back.  

Max made her way to the outdoor custodian storage where the water shut off was located. Fortunately, it was outside and even more fortunately it was open from where Samuel, the groundskeeper, was working. 

Samuel was an older man with short graying hair. He had a salt and pepper goatee and glasses. A prime target by kids for ridicule. The most recent rumor about him was that he murdered and ate cats. Max knew he was a vegetarian. 

He was currently raking the leaves off the sidewalk and getting it all into one big pile to be shoved into a trash bag like an awful secret.

Max moved as quietly as she could. But it just wasn’t her lucky day. Samuel looked up and waved at her. He spoke monotonously, quietly. Max was a little weirded out when she first met him helping clean up litter. “Hello, Max. The squirrels tell me you’ve been having a rough day.” 

Max pulled the strings of time back, but she remained. It was a wild feeling, but comforting. She felt like a heavy stone in the center of a river, flowing gently down the canal before suddenly the water ceased all motion and ran in the other direction with the memory of the stone’s motion floating away as the body of the stone remained still. 

She remained where she had, the rewind didn’t affect her. “Weird…” Every other time she had assumed she’d go back as well. 

Max rewound a couple of times to avoid Samuel. She apologized to him in her mind as she snuck into the room. Hopefully she hadn’t just teleported, that’d complicate everything. 

She turned the valve labeled ‘water output’ with a strip of sharpie labeled masking tape. Outside she could hear Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney’s screams. Max peeked out of the door with hope, but to her dismay the girls were still crowding the entrance, just standing now. 

“You should be careful, Max.” Max jumped. Samuel had caught her. There was an apology on her tongue, “The squirrels are worried for you. You’ve been cursed by another.” 

Max furrowed her brow. “C-cursed? How do I get rid of it?” Samuel sounded unrealistic at times. Perhaps even crazy. But he was more correct than the rest of the school gave him credit for. Besides, the world decided today that Max was going to be involved in craziness, she might as well embrace some of it. 

“You can’t, there is nothing the squirrels know to help you.” He looked heartbroken, like he lost a friend he’s had for decades. “We-” he swallowed, “ I hope you can find a way to break it.” 

“Me too, Samuel…” Max hummed contemplatively. “Me too…” 

“The squirrels say to believe in yourself. Be brave, a new path will open to you.” And with that, he picked up a bucket of paint, opened it, then made his way towards the entrance of the dorms. 

Max followed shortly after, questions fueling her tired mind. ‘A curse? Why would I be cursed? What did I do?’ Strawberry blonde hair, the smell of bacon and waffles in the morning, images of pirate sword fights and treasure hunts filled her mind. ‘Would Chloe curse me? Who am I kidding, of course she would.’  

She was shoved back and fell back into reality. She looked up. Courtney was standing tall and smug. Taylor winced slightly. Victoria looked down at her with disdain. 

“Did you not hear us the first time? Fine I’ll make it crystal clear since you seemed to space out like you always do,” Victoria shoved past Courtney. She bent down at the waist and grabbed at the collar of Max’s t-shirt, “Fuck. Off. I won’t ask again before something happens .” The air got cold between them. A sudden chill, like a hand grabbing her spine through her stomach. Victoria let go and Max’s back fell to the ground. 

She took a minute to calm herself down. Was she cursed? Was that why Victoria always seemed to be after her? Why couldn’t she catch a break? Through all the questions, one reigned supreme. ‘What was that ?’  

Victoria had seen the hand back before Max rewound. Did that mean Victoria could see ghosts? Was she like Max? Did she have ghost hands? Hell, did that mean Max was like Nathan Prescott or that blue haired girl? Why were they all like this? 

Max shook her head and stood, ‘You can theorize after you get Warren’s flash drive back to him.’ Samuel was at the top of a ladder above the entrance of the dorms. He had the paint can hanging nearby by the handle. Max always thought that was unsafe, one good tug and the handle could break off. 

‘...oh! Oh yeah, you know what? I think I’ve earned the right to cause some mischief…’  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Max tried to rewind. It wouldn’t go far enough. She felt terrible . She had only wanted to scare them, not this

Samuel had stepped up the ladder. He was careful, wary of spilling paint on the girls below. He reached the top and hung the handle on the hook of the ladder to paint the windowsills. The old white was fading. A snap caught his attention too late. The handle had snapped and fallen. 

“What the FUCK!?” Victoria roared. She was furious, her glare radiating a cold. To be fair, she was justified in her anger. She was drenched in a white paint all over her dark clothes. 

“Samuel is sorry-” Samuel began. 

“Get the fuck away from me, creep!” Victoria spat with disgust. 

“Samuel will clean the steps,” he said as he made his way away from the dorms. “White is not a good colour, no.” 

Taylor and Courtney were worrying over Victoria, “Are you okay, Victoria?” “Do you need us to get anything?” 

Victoria rolled her eyes, “No, I think I’ll just let this air dry and ruin my fucking cashmere!” 

“We’ll go get you some towels!” 

“Yeah, I’d fucking hope you would!” Once Taylor and Courtney were gone and in the building, Victoria slumped on the step. “Dammit…” she muttered. 

She looked back up. Max Caulfield stood before her nervously. She scoffed, “What do you want, Smallfield?” 

Max contemplated her options. She could get some payback, just for herself. She could rewind as many times as she needed to get the words to hurt just as much as Victoria’s words hurt Max. But looking at Victoria now, who looked seconds away from either crying or burning the school down. This was enough payback, too much for Max’s taste. 

“Just… are you okay? That paint can could’ve really hurt you, and I’m so sorry that your shirt got paint all over it. Is there any saving it?” Max was genuine. It was a beautiful shirt that Victoria wore well. And she was terrified for a moment that the paint can was gonna fall and hit one of the girls in the head. 

Victoria narrowed her eyes. She looked Max up and down taking in every part of the brunette. From her worn, scuffed converse to the messy locks of her bob. Next Victoria scanned left and right, her gaze lingering on any students in the courtyard. Apparently, it was safe enough, “Eh, this thing is probably ruined at this point.” 

Max felt a weight drop her stomach an inch lower, “Are you sure? Maybe you just need to wash it a few times!” 

Victoria pitched her eyebrows upwards, “Do you realize the effort I’d need to go through to get this clean? Do you know how bad it’d still look even after I get the paint off?” 

Max shook her head. Of course she didn’t know, her closet was filled with easy to clean graphic tees, skinny jeans, and her singular gray hoodie. 

Victoria shook her head, “Nevermind, you wouldn’t know. The fanciest thing you probably own is a dress from Macy’s.” 

Funnily enough, Max did own a dress from Macy’s. Victoria didn’t need to know that though. “Well, you looked great in it while it lasted!” Max tried with an optimistic tone. 

Victoria looked surprised. She rubbed an unpainted area of her sleeve between her thumb and forefinger, “You think so?” 

Max nodded. “Yeah! I wish I had your style. You always have the best fashion, it’s so eye-catching and interesting. It always fits you perfectly-” that didn’t sound weird at all, did it Max? “-I mean they all scream ‘I am Victoria Chase, I am the Queen’, you know?” 

Victoria’s eyes widened slightly. “Queen…?” she whispered. 

“Uh… yeah…?” Max smiled nervously. God, she was being such a loser. 

Victoria’s features became schooled into her signature regal smirk, “Well you can at least recognize taste, even if you don’t have any yourself.” 

Max chuckled, “More like I can’t afford it.” Victoria threw her head back as she laughed. 

“Well, you have that right.” She raised her arms gesturing at her clothes, “I’ll have a new set of these exact same clothes by the end of the week. You on the other hand have worn the same jacket since the start of the year.” 

Max rubbed her arm as her face turned away in shame, “Uh… yeah, it’s… comfy.” 

“It’d have to be.” 

A silence built up between them. For Max, it was tense. She still needed to go get Warren’s flash drive, and he had been waiting on her for about fifteen minutes since the last text. 

Victoria broke the silence with her phone in her hand, “I took down that picture, by the way. You deserve better.” 

Max rode the surge of confidence the compliment gave her, “Are you offering a modeling opportunity?” 

Victoria was about to say something, but Courtney and Taylor came back finally. “About time! Took you two long enough, what were you doing? Taking a smoke break?” 

While the trio were distracted, Max slipped by. Victoria could be nice, it seemed. Max liked Victoria’s nice side. She felt she missed a great opportunity to take a picture.

Notes:

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know how I am doing and if there are any mistakes in my writing! I'm still improving and any constructive criticism is appreciated! I had a ton of fun writing this chapter with certain lines and stuff I'm learning from my poetry classes.

Also, did you catch the more specific JoJo reference in here? It's one of my favourite moments of the series.

See you next time!

Chapter 3: Enter Thunderstruck

Summary:

Max Caulfield has finally made it to the girls' dorm. She just needed to get the flashdrive now and meet up with Warren Graham.

Notes:

TW: CHOKING

Towards the end a character gets choked by another character. I have added warnings before and after the choking is done so readers may skip it if they so wish.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 Max made her way to her dorm room. The familiar hall filled her with an anxiety all too familiar. Would she be forced to interact with any of these people? 

 The second floor dorm was just like the other floors. A dull navy blueish carpet that had to be decades old by now. Pale fluorescent lights illuminated white painted walls covered with graffiti here and plenty of scuff marks there. It at least smelled clean, unlike the boys’ floor she accidentally entered once. 

 A girl with blondish auburn hair stood stalwart outside of a room. She was wearing a pink dress, cowboy boots, and a denim jacket. Her arms crossed like a bouncer guarding a club, she looked just as mean as any one bouncer. 

 From behind her within the room, another girl was banging against the door. “Come on! You know I wouldn’t do that to you, Jules!” It was Dana Ward, the extroverted head cheerleader. 

 “Shut up!” 

Max hastened her pace. She didn’t have time to deal with teen drama. 

She paused outside Kate’s room. Every dorm room had a whiteboard right by the door, meant for students to leave messages or memos for their peers. It was rarely used to leave something nice, however. For example, Kate Marsh’s board was filled with obscene comments relating to her religion and being promiscuous. 

Max never understood how one could be angry. Upset, sure, she was upset right now. Very upset. She was upset that people were being so ignorant. Kate was a wonderful individual and the least deserving of such disgusting vocabulary. 

She wiped away all of the notes and doodles and left her own doodle of a neutral stick figure. It was all Max could draw on dry erase board, honestly it was one of the few things she could draw period. Kate was a far better artist, and she was always quick to scold Max for self-deprecating her art. 

Max finally entered her room. It was a cozy room. Decorated with dozens of photos on the wall beneath a string of fairy lights. Most were on the wall above her bed, some were of her few friends and parents back in Seattle. In a drawer there were a couple more photos of strawberry blonde and pirate costumes. 

To the left of the door was a futon with Max’s acoustic guitar. On the right was her bed. At the opposite side from the door was her desk with her laptop and her plant Lisa. The area was cluttered with sheets of paper, old assignments, and copies of borrowed notes. 

But no flash drive. “Where…” Max didn’t have post-it notes, so a bright orange one stood out like colour in a black and white photograph. Max delicately plucked it. 

‘Hey Max! Needd to brrw ur Flash! -Dana’ 

‘Shoot…’ Max groaned. She liked Dana. Dana was cool. Always the light of the party, the sunshine in the darkness of the raving nightclub. She could get even the shyest of people to join the fun, Max included. The Pied Piper of the Blackwell introverts and wallflowers. 

But that meant Max needed to go and probably deal with the drama. And there was little she disliked more than typical high school drama. 

Max approached the blonde. She held her phone in a deadly vice, her eyes a violent storm of emotions all swirling trying to be at the front. Her glare snapped towards Max, and eased slightly, “Oh, hey Max.” 

This was Juliet… something. Max had forgotten her last name, she’d remember it at some point. She gave a little wave, “Hey Juliet, what’s going on?” 

Juliet released a harsh sigh, “Well, apparently Dana has been sexting my boyfriend.” 

Max’s eyes went wide. “What!? For real?” She mentally shook her head. Dana was certainly beautiful, great proportions and an excellent model with plenty of charm. But she also had honor. Dana Ward? Sexting her best friend and dorm mate’s boyfriend? That wasn’t like her at all. “Do you have proof?” 

Juliet scoffed. “Oh what, you don’t believe she actually did it?” Max opened her mouth to answer, “What’s my name, Max?” Juliet spoke with a dangerous tone, it made the question sound much more like a statement. 

“Huh?” Max asked dumbly. 

“What’s my name? I mean, if you really know so much and know people so well then you know my name.” 

“You’re Juliet!” Max answered. Juliet made an expression that urged the brunette to continue. “Juliet… uhm… Wilson?” 

“Fuck off, Max.” 

<<< “.xaM ,ffo kcuF”

“?nosliW …mhu …teiluJ” <<< 

“Juliet Watson?” Max guessed. It started with a ‘W’, she knew that, and Wilson and Watson were the first two names that came to her mind. 

And with how Juliet further relaxed rather than cursing the brunette out, it seemed she guessed correctly. “Huh, didn’t think you knew my name.” 

“Well of course I know your name, you’re gonna be a famous journalist someday! I gotta know your name to cash in on favours later on!” Max joked. 

Juliet laughed, “Ha! Yeah, only if you can get me pictures of Spider-Man.” Max shared the laugh. Once the two were done Juliet asked, “So what do you need?” 

“Oh, I just need to get Warren’s flash drive from Dana, she borrowed it and now Warren wants it back.” 

Juliet harrumphed, “Well, unfortunately that’s not happening until she admits what she did.” 

Muffled by the door Dana ried out desperately, “I didn’t do anything with Zach, Jules! I swear to you! Max, check Victoria’s room! It has to be her fault somehow!” 

Victoria? Meddling in other people’s personal affairs? It was likely. She remembered the big fight that broke out amongst a few football players because of her. “I’ll take a look.” 

That caught Juliet by surprise, “Huh? Why would you do that? She’ll kill you if she finds out you went snooping in her room, y’know.” 

“She’d have to catch me first,” Max said with more confidence than she felt. Her exhaustion was starting to catch up with her if she was about to be so brazen with her snooping. But there were also her new powers. If she was careful, she could be out of the room before anyone would know it. 

Juliet seemed to like the idea, “Well go for it, but I doubt you’ll find anything.” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Victoria’s room was across the hall from Max’s, and it was completely different to her’s as well. The layout was similar, but Victoria’s room felt slightly bigger. Maybe it was the way the furniture was laid out, or perhaps she made sure to get the largest room on the floor. 

Either way, it was far fancier than Max’s. It made her wonder why the door wasn’t closed and locked. Breaking in was supposed to be the hard part but when the door is practically wide open it takes some of the fun out of the detective experience. 

‘Oh well,’ Max shrugged. 

This was the first time Max had seen Victoria’s room aside from tiny glances she got whenever she saw someone enter or exit. 

It was colour coordinated for grays and soft whites. On the right was the bed, and of course it was bigger and softer than anything else Max had ever seen before. The desk against the wall opposite the door was spacious and had an actual desktop computer with a printer! There was a oval coffee table in front of- 

‘Is that an actual plasma TV??? What the heck! She could do watch parties! Like the whole floor could watch Final Fantasy Spirits Within!’ 

She shook her head. Gotta focus. Gotta find something to get Juliet to let Dana go.’ Max approached the computer. She tapped the spacebar, and much like Victoria’s room, her computer wasn’t even locked. 

‘If I were you, Victoria, I’d seriously lock your stuff. What if someone stole something?’ 

The computer showed Victoria’s Facebook profile. It was full of inspirational quotes from the likes of Gandhi, beautiful photos that Victoria had taken with a phone that likely cost approximately as much as her tuition. There wasn’t a picture of her, like she expected. 

She switched tabs. If Max wanted to Facebook stalk Victoria, she’d do it on her own account. The next tab was… enlightening to say the least. It was a chat log with Zachary, one of the Blackwell football players. He had… sent some images according to the context of the texts that Victoria had sent, but Max wasn’t going to scroll up to find out. 

A quick screenshot and CTRL+P and the printer on the desk whirred to life. Moments later, Max had her proof. 

“Dana was right, Juliet,” Max said as she handed the paper over. “Victoria sent Zach texts.” 

“How do you explain the picture she showed me?” Juliet asked skeptically. 

“She probably doctored the photo, and why would Victoria have a picture of Dana’s texts?” 

“She-” Juliet struggled to find the words. She gave up eventually and silently unlocked the door. “I’m sorry, Dana, I’ve been such an idiot.” 

Dana stepped out wearing a sleek long sleeve low cut black shirt and jeans. Her brown hair was drawn up into a ponytail. “You’d better be! You’re doing my laundry for a month!” Dana sounded upset, but she had a mirthful smile on her face. She was known for her easy going nature, and she was always quick to forgive. 

Juliet smirked, “Fine, I deserve that.” 

Dana pointed her thumb into the room, “The flash drive is on my desk, by the way. Must be pretty important for you to go through so much trouble for it.” She had a knowing look on her face, one that knew more than Max did. 

“Huh? I mean, not really. But it is Warren’s, and he wants it back so I need to get it to him,” Max explained. It wouldn’t be an issue to get an extension on being able to get it back, but at the same time it was making her feel really guilty not watching anything on it. 

“Well, have fun with Warren, Max!” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Max made it to the parking lot with flash drive in hand. It took way longer than she had wanted it to, but she was finally here. One more step to being able to sleep this day away. 

She thought she was tired when she started today, but now? Her muscles were starting to dully ache. Her clumsiness had been amplified: she kept tripping over nothing and had dropped the flash drive twice. She was getting better at willing the hand to come out and do things, such as catching the flash drive. 

The hand could twirl the flash drive between her fingers like a wheel rolls along a fresh asphalt road. It was fluid like the calm waters of a lake, and was as fast as a master magician’s sleight of hand. Max was amazed, she was always clumsy and could never manage to do any kind of tricks like this. Too bad she couldn’t show them off. 

She willed the glove to disappear again as she drew close to Warren. Warren was Max’s age; they met in their chemistry class. Warren offered to help her with the class since she voiced her concerns of passing. He was waving now, “Hey Max!” 

Warren Graham, a quintessential nerdy teenage boy. He had brown medium length locks, a little shorter than Max’s. He was wearing simple sneakers, an older pair of jeans, and a black t-shirt with a blue stripe over an olive long sleeved shirt. He always had a bright look in his eyes that Max appreciated. She could never manage to catch it in candid, though. He always seemed to notice her first. 

Max gave a small wave with a small smile, “Hey Warren.” 

Warren leaned back onto a car with a prideful smirk, “So, what do you think?” 

Max raised an eyebrow, “What, about the movies?” 

Warren’s smirk faltered, “W-well, not only that, I meant my new car! My mom got it for me! Well, I say ‘got it’, but she just got a new car and I got this one.” 

Max took a moment to really look at Warren’s car. It was… something. It was a blue two seater with a small hatchback. The passenger side door was a different colour than the rest of the vehicle. It looked old. “It looks… cool! I wish I had a car.” 

“Well hey! I can always give you a ride whenever you need it! Like maybe to the drive-in this weekend? They’ll be doing a run of Planet of the Apes!” 

“Oh, I don’t know if I’ll have time,” Max extended the flash drive to him, “I didn’t even have time to watch these, I’m sorry!” 

Warren seemed crestfallen, but did a decent job at hiding it. “S’cool. Just let me know about the drive-in, ‘kay?” 

Max gave a thumbs up, “Will do.” She walked up and leaned against the car next to Warren, who was trying to decide when the best moment would be to try to slip his arm around her shoulder. “Have you ever had a day so weird and terrifying that it doesn’t feel real?” 

Warren paused, “Uhh… I mean, not the weird part, but I’ve had moments where I felt so terrified and it didn’t feel real.” 

“Like?” 

Warren swallowed hard, “Well, when I met y-” 

“Max Caulfield?” a voice all too familiar snapped. 

Max’s heart leapt into her throat. ‘Oh god, no…’ she spun towards the approaching figure. Nathan Prescott in all of his menacing presence. “Nathan?” 

“H-hey man, what’s up?” Warren said nervously as he hesitantly stepped forward. 

“Shut it!” Nathan shoved him back as he stepped between Warren and Max. Max’s heart was pounding. She felt like she was in a bathroom with a boy that was about to pull a gun on her. “You were there in that bathroom, weren’t you?” It was a statement. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Nathan.” She knew she was a terrible liar, but she couldn’t fight back and she was so scared she wasn’t sure her fingers would be able to pull the strings of time. 

“Do NOT fucking lie to me, I know you’re lying.” 

Warren stepped forward once more, “Hey man, leave her alone!” 

Max couldn’t see how, but Warren was flung back and wheezing. “W-ack!” 

[TRIGGER WARNING: STRANGULATION]

Max never knew what it was like to be suffocated. To be choked with the strength of someone willing to take a human life and throw it to the muck. 

She knew Nathan didn’t like her. Maybe it was because he and Victoria were friends? Victoria complained to him a lot about Max. But to go for strangulation? 

Max tried to grab the hand that was strangling her, but it went straight through. Her eyes hadn’t been focused, she had been going on instinct. She didn’t notice that Nathan wasn’t using his own hands. 

Nathan hesitated a moment before smirking, “Yeah, that’ll teach you to lie.” 

Max tried to calm her mind. She studied the thing that was strangling her. It was humanoid in shape, a black body with unreadable gray scribbles all along the body in a spiral pattern. The face was covered by dark gray chains. She could see barred human teeth, though. It was a muscular masculine figure, and one of its hands was tight around Max’s throat. 

She couldn’t touch it. Her hands went straight through its arm. ‘Am I going to die?’ Max wondered. Her throat burned. Dark spots were appearing in her vision, like the black spots on an improper developing photo. ‘I… I don’t want to die!’ She reached out and felt purchase on a face. ‘I’ll fight! I’ll… I won’t leave without something to remember me by…’ She clawed. 

The photo her eyes produced were suddenly overdeveloped. It was too bright. Air wheezed into her lungs, whistling over the strained muscles and delicate sinews within her throat. It agitated hacking coughs out of her. Blood rushed through her head, she felt light headed. She was on the ground. It was soothing and cold despite the coarseness of the asphalt. 

[TRIGGER WARNING: END] (Summary of above events: Nathan's stand began strangling Max, her stand clawed Nathan's face and she fell to the ground)

She felt herself lifted up. Nathan was holding his face, there was blood. “YOU!” He stomped over and the humanoid figure wound up for a punch. 

Over Max’s head, another fist shot out like a bullet. It was so fast it was like a bolt of lightning that streaks across the sky in the blink of an eye. Only a camera with an insanely fast shutter speed would’ve been able to capture it, but somehow, Max’s eyes caught it. 

It was electric blue, black electricity marks lined up the arms. It was thin, but not overly so. It was certainly more muscular than Max. It slammed into the black figure’s chest, and as it pulled back there was a visible marking where Nathan’s shirt was singed with a pattern of a fist. 

“Ow fuck!” Nathan stumbled back. Warren jumped up and threw his arms around Nathan’s neck, “Run! Get out of here!” The black figure faded away and Nathan stumbled back into Warren’s car. He elbowed backwards catching Warren in the side. Warren released his grip, and Nathan descended on him with his own fists. 

Max was flung onto a rusty truck door harshly. “Come on, girl, get your ass in there!” A girl’s voice commanded. It was… familiar. She didn’t have time to dwell on that though. Max pulled the door open and clambered in. Once she was in the truck took off, leaving Warren and Nathan to be confronted by David Madsen. 

“Thanks…” Max rasped once she felt far enough away from Blackwell. 

“Heh, yeah well couldn’t let him keep choking you out. Asshole.” Max glanced over and felt the capacity to form words drain. It was the girl with the blue hair. And now that she had a closer look at her… 

“Chloe?” 

Chloe Price’s eyes widened to saucers before she looked at the girl in her passenger seat, truly seeing her for the first time. “Max?” 

 

Notes:

This chapter was fun to write and we're finally getting to the more divergent sections of this story: Stands.

If you are unfamiliar with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure do not worry you do not need prior knowledge to read this story. The main thing that anyone needs to know is that Stands are the physical manifestations of one's soul.

In the anime, stand stats are dislplayed during commercial breaks, and I'll be doing that here and there from chapter 4 onwards.

The thing that you need to remember with stands is that the creator of JJBA forgets the rules many times, so there are plenty of exceptions to the rules, especially the rules of physics.

And one last thing: I am a college student and get busy a lot. Sometimes a chapter may be a day or two late. I apologize in advance and promise to try to not do that.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! See you next time!

Chapter 4: Reacquaintance

Summary:

Max reunites with Chloe Price, her childhood friend and learns how big of a difference a few years can make in changing someone.

Notes:

School has been beating me worse than Jotaro did to Steely Dan and updates may be sporadic. However, I am still working on this! I have commissioned an artist for some art! At the end there is an image of Max and her stand (art by Fareladtyp @faplustrator on VGen, consider them for any art you need they were excellent!)

Anyways, until next time!

Chapter Text

Chloe Price stared at the brunette with disbelief. It quickly changed to anger. “Max Caulfield,” she huffed, “look who finally decided to talk to me again!” It was sarcastic, and it hurt so much more than Max could have imagined. Each word was like a dull dagger dragging her heart deeper into the depths of despair. 

Max hung her head low, “I-I meant to call, to text, to send a letter to you, anything.” She truly had meant to. There were countless days where she sat on her bed with her text messages up with the several year old text log pulled up. The furthest she had ever made it was two words that only felt right to say aloud: “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

She looked up and screamed, “Chloe! The road!” 

Chloe’s eyes widened, “Shit, I forgot, people can’t see it.” Max saw it though, she just hadn’t made the connection in her brain. Two blue hands held the steering wheel in place, and as she moved her head Max saw a blue head. It was a feminine face with a silver mohawk, black eyes, and skull face paint. 

“I have something I call a Stand, I call it that because it’s always standing by my side, but only Stand Users can see stands,” Chloe explained. 

“Stand?” Max looked at her right hand. ‘That’s what this is? A stand?’ She looked back at Chloe, who was leaned back in her seat as her stand drove, “How do you get one?” 

Chloe raised an eyebrow with a pitying smile, “Well you’ve gotta be born with one, I think. And then it comes out when you need it most, like when someone is trying to kill you.” 

“So I’m not cursed?” Max asked. 

“Nah y-” Chloe spun in her seat and grabbed Max’s shoulders, “WAIT, you have a stand?” Any animosity that Chloe held for Max was gone. Max saw her childhood friend, excitement clear in each of her features. “Lemme see! Bring her out!” 

“Her?” 

Chloe nodded, “Yeah! Stands are kinda like a manifestation of our inner selves! I think, at least, so it would be a girl! Now bring your hipster stand out!” 

Max willed the glove on, “Uhm… mine isn’t all that impressive.” 

Max felt anxiety creep up as Chloe examined Max’s right hand. She was frowning, “Hm… Why isn’t your stand coming out fully?” She looked at Max, “Is this as far as you’ve been able to pull it out?” Max nodded. “Hm… you’ve always been nervous, guessing Seattle didn’t help there?” 

“I’m so-” 

Chloe waved dismissively, “Bah! Water under the bridge! You’re back now, and that’s all that matters!” 

Max shook her head, “No, it isn’t! I hurt you, Chloe! I-” 

Chloe wrapped her friend in a hug. God, Max missed this. She missed her best friend. It felt like the best waffles and bacon in all of Washington. It felt like pirate adventures towards the lighthouse. It felt like a nice soft bed over a school break with no plans that day. It was so painfully familiar. It was home. “You’re the only one that’s come back to say sorry. So let’s skip the angst and get back to being best friends, alright?” Chloe mumbled into Max’s shoulder.  

Max hugged back and nodded. They separated after a minute. “You saved me from Nathan, you didn’t even know it was me.” 

“I’m always happy to kick that stuck up rich bitch in the teeth.” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The rusty truck pulled up in front of the half blue house. The painting was started by Chloe’s father, William Price, but he never finished it before he passed. It showed considerably more age than the last time Max had been here. 

“Welp, let’s go.” Chloe got out of the truck and jogged over to the house. Max followed slowly. 

The interior was… so similar but with a hint of sadness it hurt her physically. From simply the now empty jar that used to hold spare change for that trip to Paris Chloe’s parents always wanted to take. The vase of flowers at the center of the dining room that had long since shriveled and died. The missing photos of William, Joyce, and especially Chloe. Max walked up the stairs. 

The door to Chloe’s room was very different. Cliche angsty teen bedroom door and the interior was no different. Dirty clothes strung about, punk posters, grafiti, and a messy bed. No wonder Max didn’t recognize her childhood best friend, she was practically a different person! 

Vibrant electric blue hair, black torn clothes, spikes, tattoos!? Things that Max never thought the strawberry blonde fourteen year old would do. And a life she never thought would be cut so short. Fortunately, Max was able to save her. She stared at her right hand. She hadn’t been able to get it to go further from her wrist and she had tried the entire ride to Chloe’s house. Chloe seemed to have full control over her stand, why didn’t Max? 

“Pretty cool, huh?” Chloe bumped shoulders with Max, pulling her out of her self-deprecating reverie. “We can practice bringing it out, it took me a few times to bring mine out fully.” The admittance did help Max feel a little better, at least. Chloe pulled out a lock box from under her bed. She dug around in it a little, picking out two things. Max couldn’t see what else was in the box. 

“Aha! Here we go!” Chloe held up a CD case with a CD in it, and a cigarette. She handed the CD to Max, “Toss this on, I’m gonna toke up.” Max was about to object but Chloe had already put the stick to her lips. Her stand came out and snapped its fingers at the end of the cigarette and blue sparks appeared for a moment. The cigarette was lit, and Chloe inhaled and exhaled. 

The smell was familiar. Max had smelled it a few times in Seattle. Weed, another thing young Chloe would never do. ‘Sparks? Chloe can control electricity? So cool.’ Max put the CD in the stereo and pressed play. When she turned around again Chloe was sprawled out on the bed on her back. Max took the chair at Chloe’s desk. “So, how did you get your stand?” 

Chloe tensed. Max remembered what Chloe had said. ‘Chloe had to protect herself? Was it today?’  

“...I’ve had it for months now.” She took a drag, “I don’t really wanna talk about it, and I know you want help with your stand, but it’ll have to wait. It can get pretty… dangerous and destructive.” 

“Oh,” Max couldn’t disagree. The few times her stand came out something got damaged. “Maybe… tomorrow?” 

Chloe raised her head enough to look at Max and smile, “Yeah, course, gonna need my first mate for this one.” 

That’s right, Max was the first mate. She’d make it up to her captain. She’d prove she wouldn’t abandon Chloe again. 

Max swung her arms back and forth as she rocked on the tips of her toes. “Soooo… what do we do now?” 

“Well, we’ll be doing some detective work after a while, but first I wanna know more about what’s been going on with you!” 

And so Max smiled and told Chloe all of it. About the few friends in theater she had made from working stage crew back in Seattle. About the wonderful restaurants she’d eaten at. About the terrible and corny teachers she’d had. About the bullies she’d faced. About the wonderful photos she had taken. She pulled out the stack of photos she carried in her bag, “I might have a few, hold on…” 

The stack slipped from her grasp, scattering to the floor like a plume of feathers split from a pillow. “Shoot! Oh man, I’m sorry Chloe, I’ll get this cleaned-” 

“Where did you take this?” Max looked up from the spilt photos to her friend. Chloe’s face was as still and stern as stone as she studied the photo in her stand’s grasp. Her gaze slowly slid towards Max, “Well Max?” 

“...I… I was there.” Why was she so nervous? She saved Chloe! Unless Chloe meant to get shot in the bathroom? Could her stand help her somehow? “You were shot. My stand helped.” 

Chloe’s mouth gaped like a fish. “Max, what do you mean your stand helped? I wasn’t shot-” 

Downstairs the front door slammed. “Chloe!” 

Chloe groaned, “Ah shit, here we go.” She got up from the bed making her way to her desk. She gently placed the photo (the blue butterfly perched atop a bucket) before holding the joint over an ashtray. Her stand’s arm did a chopping motion which cleaved off the burning end. She pocketed the remainder of the joint in her back pocket. As she pulled her hand back out a folded polaroid photo fell to the ground. Before she left the room, she turned to Max, “Stay up here for a bit, alright? My step dad is a bit of an ass towards strangers, but I’ll take care of it.” 

Max spent the next few minutes picking up her pictures and sorting through them on Chloe’s desk. She reached into her bag, but immediately tore it out with a hiss as something bit her finger. Max examined the wound and took a few breaths to calm herself. A shard of glass had pierced her middle fingertip. She willed her stand to rewind. 

The shard remained, but a silhouette of it fluttered back into the bag. ‘So if I’m holding something while I rewind it stays? I guess I should’ve figured that since my clothes don’t get rewound, that’d suck, heh.’ The intruding shard stung defiantly. ‘Maybe my stand can…’  

Max willed her stand’s hand to appear. It steadily closed the distance towards the small shard. With the precision of an expert surgeon, it grabbed the protruding end with the thumb and the forefinger. Once it grabbed the shard it pulled it out easily with only a sting and a hiss from the user. “Now for the hard part.” Max commanded her stand to reach into the bag and retrieve her camera. 

It was unsalvageable. The flash piece that flipped up for the flash was completely separated from the main body of the Polaroid camera. The lens was shattered, her bag now a trap from the Saw series that Chloe forced her to watch when they were kids (Max spent most of the movies with her eyes covered while Chloe hissed at the gruesomeness). The film stored in the camera was bent and torn, a terrible waste of money. Max held a short funeral for the film of unspent shots. The camera deserved something more. 

“Oh shit, what happened?” Max jumped in her seat. Chloe walked over and leaned on the desk with a grimace as she eyed the deceased camera. “Ah… any, uh, hope?” Max answered with a dead shake of her head. Chloe glanced around her room before beginning to rummage through discarded clothes, her closet, and drawers on furniture before finally getting to her shelf. With an ‘ah-ha!’ she plucked the shoebox up and extended it to the photographer. “Here!” 

Max took the box gingerly. She gasped when she opened it: a Polaroid 1200si. Not just any kind of Polaroid 1200si, though these cameras weren’t easy to find, it was William Price’s Polaroid 1200si. It was Chloe’s dad’s camera. “Chloe-” 

With a roll of her eyes Chloe sighed in exasperation, “Don’t you dare decline it, Max. It’s literally just sitting around and collecting dust.” She added quietly a few seconds later, “He’d want you to have it, Max.” 

Max cradled the camera as a mother would her newborn child and spoke with awe, “Chloe, thank you!” 

“Bah, don’t mention it.” She plucked her jacket off the bed, “Wanna get out of here? We can talk about our… mutual condition.” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The lighthouse was the same as it had been for decades, just with faded and chipping paint falling from the bricks. The sun’s rays mixed with the October winds gave a feeling Max wished she could capture with a camera. She was aware she couldn’t capture it fully, but this didn’t stop her from trying. 

“C’mon, slowpoke!” Chloe called from up the trail. 

“Coming!” Max called out, scaring away the nearby squirrel. As she walked up the dirt path a strange feeling of wrong creeped through her being. It wasn’t like a horror movie where you look at the monster and think “oh that’s wrong! Gross!” No, reality felt wrong. Max was walking too easily. Everything was too dry, it was too sunny. 

She shook her head, attempting to get rid of the nightmare induced deja vu. Max had been having fun with Chloe, finally returning as the prodigal daughter, so much so that she had forgotten the nightmare from Mr. Jefferson’s class this afternoon. She crested the hill and found Chloe by the old bench overlooking the shore of Arcadia Bay. 

Max jogged over, “Soooo… What are we here for?” 

Chloe smiled, “Well, it’s pretty late today but we can start on some of your training and stuff.” 

Max nodded, “Right!” Finally, she would be able to understand this, maybe. Her stand was confusing and it was useful, and if she could do more with it then that’d be awesome! 

The excitement was palpable. “Yeah! That’s the spirit, Max! So, first things first is naming your stand!” 

Max’s smile faltered, “Really? Not like, mastering the powers or-” 

“Nobody becomes masters of something before they name it, Max. Do you think the creator of Kung-Fu or Karate mastered it before naming it those badass names? No!” Chloe argued. Max wanted to argue back, but honestly? She really couldn’t prove that Chloe was wrong. 

“Alright so… how do you name a stand?” 

Chloe summoned her stand, “Well, some people do songs and stuff, others go on the nose. I figured why not both and boom! Thunderstruck !” Max tilted her head with confusion. “...ACDC?” 

“Oh, I don’t really know them.” 

Chloe shook it off, “Whatever, point is: your stand needs a name.” 

“Okay… what about… Alt-J?” 

“...mmm, nah, not cool enough.” 

Max scratched the back of her head, “Well, my stand is only a hand… that’s not really cool.” 

Chloe scoffs, “It isn’t the size that matters, Max, it’s what you do with it.” 

Max pointed a finger with mock anger, “Easy for you to say, you get a whole person with lightning powers!” 

Electricity , not lightning. I don’t think I can control lightning, unless it’s like, I dunno, a few feet away?” Chloe scratched the top of her head through her beanie with her stand. Meanwhile, she crossed her arms in consideration, “...though I’ve never tried-” 

Max broke into a fit of giggles, “Now I regret even bringing it up!” 

Chloe smirked, “As you should! I’m actually not bad at doing stuff that involves electricity nowadays! I could probably get into a trade doing electrical work when I leave Arcadia Bay.” 

“You’re leaving?” Max’s heart plummeted. 

Chloe nodded, “Soon as I find Rachel, yeah. If she’s even here to begin with,” she added bitterly. 

“Why?” 

“Why what?” 

“Why leave? You could be an electrician here and probably make bank.” 

Chloe blinked a couple of times before collapsing onto the bench. She cupped her face in her hands, “...why didn’t I think of that earlier… I could’ve avoided pissing off Nathan…” 

“Nathan…?” Max added carefully. 

Chloe lifted her head and blinked, “Ah, that’s right. He was pissed at me cuz I tried to extort some moolah outta him.” She tilted her head, “...how’d you piss in his cornflakes?” 

Max dug the toe of her converse shoe into the dirt by the bench and cupped her elbow nervously. She mumbled an inaudible answer. 

“You okay, dude?” 

“...he knows… knows I was there…” 

Chloe frowned, “How? I didn’t notice you there so how does he know?” Max shrugged. “Alright well, you said I was shot, yeah?” Max nodded, a dark look encroaching upon her features. “So, you helped me without me even knowing… what can your stand-” Chloe winced, “-Max? You’re bleeding…” 

Max tapped her fingers to her philtrum and when they pulled back they were red. The edges of her vision grew dark, “Woah…” She stumbled, her legs were falling out from under her. The world blurred together like drops of food colouring landing into a glass of water before they mixed together from gravity’s meddling. She felt pressure around her ribs and under her arms before it all went black. 

And then seconds later her head was splitting, she was cold, and her clothes were weighed down by buckets of water. The roar of the wind didn’t help her splitting head, especially with the water droplets being flung like ice cold grenade shrapnel into her hands and face. The wind blew so strongly she couldn’t see without her eyes drying immediately. 

As soon as the deafening roar met her ears the cold chill shot up her spine like a speeding bullet train and spread out from her ribcage across her body. ‘A storm? Is it the storm? It has to be.’ Max fought the wind and gravity to her feet. As she got to the edge of the cliff she spotted the storm once more. 

This time when she saw it it filled her with an incredible sense of dread. Dread and familiarity. Dread of the familiarity. The storm was pulling the sea into itself like a guzzling gazelle drinking greedily from the savannah’s watering hole. The shores had receded, there were beached whales, the town was severely damaged. 

A newspaper hit the nearby fence post with a wet smack. As carefully as she could, Max took the newspaper into her hands. Somehow, her dread grew as heavy as a tungsten weight in her heart that dropped to the depths of her stomach. “F-f-friday…?” Max gasped through her chattering teeth, a shiver rippling her shoulders as the wind continued to whip through her hair and her waterlogged clothes. The storm tore the paper from her hands with the power of the wind, though Max gave no resistance. Her hands were numb. Her body numb. Her mind numb save for one singular thought: ‘How do I stop this?’  

A boat flew into the lighthouse and like a precarious stack of cards the building crashed down on top of Max.

She shot up with a gasp. A firm hand pressed against her chest, “MAX! Hey, breathe.” Max followed the command. “Good, you collapsed, started bleeding real bad from your nose, scared the shit outta me,” Chloe chuckled sheepishly. 

Max pushed herself to her feet, stumbling a couple of steps but she steadied herself before Thunderstruck needed to help her up. “Chloe, I think the town is in trouble.” 

“What?” Chloe asked, blindsided by the reveal. “What do you me-” Her eyes widened. 

Fresh snow was always an easy set up to a photograph. Especially during the golden hour where the sun was beginning to settle on the horizon. But it should’ve been raining. It was too warm for snow. “Is this… some stand, maybe?” 

Max shook her head, “If it is, it’s only a taste of what’s to come.” 

Chloe turned to Max, “Max, tell me everything. Start from the beginning.” 

Max took a deep breath. Then she began.

Chapter 5: An Apple a Day

Summary:

Tuesday morning Max Caulfield awakes to a brand new day where she hopes to learn more about how to control her stand. She has plans to meet up with Chloe at Two Whales before beginning to train in full, but she may have to learn through trial by fire instead.

Notes:

Sorry about the wait! Christmas break was a doozy. I had Covid for a bit and Marvel Rivals is really fun rn. Anyways, this chapter was fun to write, but if there's any changes you want to see to any fights in the future let me know, please! Thank you! Also check the end notes for some stand stats!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Max groaned as her phone vibrated with her alarm song playing on her bedside table, rousing her from her deep sleep. ‘Ugh, do I have to get up…?’ The events prior to sleep surged to her mind. Chloe told her to meet up at the Two Whales Diner for breakfast. Max blearily checked her phone and groaned at the clock. It was already 8:30 and she had countless missed texts and a couple missed calls from Chloe, all of them along the lines of her bony white ass getting her waffles and bacon eaten by the blue haired punk. Max rolled her eyes with a smile and responded to her friend saying she was hurrying and with plenty of emojis. 

Max’s tired eyes adjusted to the sunlight that flowed through the open window. She didn’t remember opening it, then again she stayed up until two in the morning researching everything she could about time travel and whatever she could on Stands. Needless to say most of her findings were fruitless.

Once she had felt awakened enough to begin her day,she stood and stretched languidly and moaned as the muscles in her back protested. Her graphic t-shirt with three eggs and baby chicks lifted just barely above her black briefs showing a peak at the soft flesh of the stomach beneath- 

A clatter of the pot Lisa resided in made Max jump. She spun towards the window, but didn’t see anything. Her window was open, so it could’ve been the wind, or a bird? 

‘But there wasn’t any flapping of wings and I didn’t feel wind…’ Max felt the feeling all women know far too well: the feeling of someone’s eyes drawn over her form. Max always felt like someone was watching her, to be fair. She hated being noticed by anyone. Especially in Seattle and with the very few men that had catcalled her. It happened infrequently and she pushed it from her mind as best she could as she was never pursued after the first catcall, but she still felt disgusting whenever it happened. 

But this was different. It felt… closer. It felt as if Max was a fawn being stalked by a predator. ‘Could someone be watching me?’ Her room was 219 and it overlooked the  beautiful green courtyard. But it was also two stories up. Nobody could possibly be up here peeking through her window like a peeping tom from some coming of age film that’d be on Warren’s flash drive. 

Max shook her head and brought Lisa back to her pot. She told herself to sweep the dirt later. She closed the window and gathered her toiletries before heading towards the showers. 

The showers of the dorms… could be better. The sinks could drain all of the hot water for the showers, some of the temperature handles were incorrectly labeled, the pressure wasn’t equal amongst the sinks and showers, and there were lights that needed replacing since before the beginning of the semester. 

Someone was in the shower closest to the door, finishing up their routine. Kate was brushing her teeth solemnly. Max wore a genuine smile, “Hey Kate!” she accentuated it with a friendly wave. 

“Oh,” Kate mumbled through toothpaste suds. She politely spit into the sink and washed it out with a small cup of water. “Sorry. Hi Max,” Kate gave a small smile. 

Max’s own faltered. Kate’s eyes were sunken into her skull, her skin was pale, and her eyes were red and puffy. “Kate, are you feeling okay?” 

Kate’s lip quivered. She nodded and cracked out, “Yep! I-I’ve been better, but I’m fine.” 

Max frowned, “Kate, if there’s something wrong you can-” 

“I said nothing was wrong, Max,” Kate tried kindly. It was a thinly veiled facsimile of cheeriness. A curtain hiding the truth that was at risk of falling from the rod at any moment. 

“Kate-” 

The curtain fell. Max expected sadness. “Leave me alone, Max. I don’t want to talk about it,” she growled quietly. Kate turned her body towards the mirror and gazed into the void of the open drain of the sink. 

Max raised her hand and felt the strands of time catch upon her fingertips. 

 

<~~~~

 

Kate’s lip quivered. She nodded and cracked out, “Yep! I-I’ve been better, but I’m fine.” 

‘My stand can rewind time, so I have nearly infinite attempts at helping her with little risk of making things worse. It’ll be like practice!’ Max smiled. “Kate, you don’t have to put on a smile for me.” 

Kate flinched. The curtain was pulled aside this time. Sadness was there, but just beneath the surface was the bitterness that Max had glimpsed at before rewinding. “...I don’t want to talk about it, Max, please.” 

“But-” 

“Please.” Kate turned to the sink again, more sad than bitter. Still not good enough for Max. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“...I don’t want to talk about it, Max, please.” 

“I want to help, Kate.” Max said, not as confident as she wanted to be. 

“I appreciate that Max,” Kate turned to the mirror and stared into her own eyes, “but nobody can help me.” 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“I want to help, Kate.” Max stated authoritatively. 

Kate blinked. “I…” Kate opened her mouth to speak, words about to spill forth like the horses at the start of a race-

The bathroom door swung open. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the least socially capable of Blackwell, the second rung of the ladder.” Victoria Chase in all of her morning glory stood with her fists at her hips. Meanwhile, Courtney and Taylor stood behind her with mischievous smirks. 

“‘The second rung’?” Max parroted. 

Victoria rolled her eyes disdainfully, “Yes, Smallfield , the second.” 

“Who’s at the bottom?” Max asked out of genuine curiosity. ‘Who could be lower than the waif hipster too shy to talk to anyone but rabbits and Stands?’  

Victoria laughed, “Seriously? It’s Warren. He’s an utter weirdo.” 

Max frowned, “...he’s my friend…” 

He is a pest ,” Victoria corrected. “I know I talk shit about you a lot, Maxine, but you could get better dick literally anywhere else.” 

Max couldn’t help but recoil in disgust. Warren was nice, he was! He was a delight to talk to and it was nice to not feel so alone in the social anxiety department. If both people in the conversation were awkward and didn’t know how to talk to people then it wasn’t so difficult. 

Courtney and Taylor burst into giggles. “Woah! Didn’t think she had that in her!” Taylor praised through her snickering. 

“For real!” Courtney laughed, “Max is meaner than we thought, right Vic?” The laughter died down once the girls realized Victoria wasn’t laughing with them. She had a look of utter shock and amazement on her face. 

“Really?” 

Max nodded, “Yeah, he’s more like the brother I never had.” 

Courtney and Taylor both winced at that. “Well, you might wanna tell him that sooner rather than later, then…” 

Max scoffed at that. “Why? He’s not into me like that, why would anyone be into me like that?” 

“It’s that!” Victoria blurted out frustratedly, “You always do that! Put yourself down and don’t do anything about it!” 

Max narrowed her eyes, anger flaring, “Why do you care, anyways? I thought you’d love to see me put in my place.” 

Victoria shook her head and scoffed, “It’s only fun when I do it. Every other time it’s sad.” 

Max couldn’t argue with that. So instead she shrugged, “Whatever.” 

Victoria sneered, “Oh? Giving up after finally mustering the courage to do something for once in your life?” 

“Why are you here, Victoria?” Kate spat out. It was surprising enough that everyone went silent and focused their attention on Kate. Her fists were balled and she looked like she was going to start crying again. But the fire in her hazel eyes was like a shining amber gem in the gleam of the sun. 

Victoria smiled widely, satisfied, after a moment of bated breath and tense silence. “Well, well, well, finally you girls are giving some action.” She waved her lackeys to follow, “C’mon, girls, I want to get some shots for my portfolio down by the beach this morning.” She hesitated by the door after Courtney and Taylor had left the restroom. “Be careful around Warren, Max,” she warned over her shoulder. Then just as quickly as she had appeared, she vanished. 

‘If I need to be careful around Warren then I need to be ten times as careful around you, Victoria.’ She shook her head, not sure who she was more disappointed with: Victoria or herself. ‘ Can’t believe I thought she was nice !’  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After her shower, Max returned to her room to get dressed. She didn’t know which shirt to wear of all of her graphic tees. “What a varied selection…” she grumbled. ‘Maybe I could steal some shirts with my Stand’s abilities?’ She shook the thought from her mind immediately. She had spent too much time with Chloe if her mind was already drifting towards crime. “I’ll just start with jeans and go from there.” 

She hooked her thumbs under the band of her briefs, arms pumped to remove the day-old worn clothing to change into a fresh pair when Lisa fell over again. Max spun around quickly this time and gasped. 

The thing looked like a Japanese Spider Crab, which Max only knew of because Warren showed it to her and talked to her about it the other day. The shell was bright white, and any fleshy parts uncovered by the shell were a healthy green. It startled a little but then confidently moved forward. Max fell back, barely noticing the rugburn she just gave her butt. She reached blindly to her side and grasped the first thing that her hand touched -a lamp- and threw it across the room. The lamp phased through the creature. 

It stopped. The creature, no that’s not right. Chloe had explained the basics to her. This was a Stand. Max’s heart had leapt to her throat, she was quivering like a leaf. She hadn’t practiced with her stand, what was she supposed to do against a stand that had broken into her room? “W-who are you? What do you want?” 

“...you.” The stand’s voice was garbled, like it was spoken through a filter of water, but the word rang clear in Max’s ears. 

“S-stay away from me…” Max couldn’t bring her voice to be intimidating. To be threatening, one must have an advantage. Victoria was threatening in large part due to her overwhelming advantages. Max didn’t have those. She wasn’t a fighter, her stand had a strong ability, but she had no idea what the drawbacks of said power was. Besides, all her stand was an arm, and it was pretty difficult to fight with just an arm, half of one at that. 

“I am… The Doctor …” The stand dubbed itself as the legs made their way further into the room, piercing the ceiling when necessary to keep a proper balance. “...we are… a match… perfect… match…”  

“You’re a creep…” Max whimpered as she pushed herself back, at least until her spine came into contact with the drywall between her night stand and doorframe. 

“You are… scared…?” The Doctor asked with a tilt of its body. It shook side to side, as if it were shaking a head rather than a full carapace, “Do not worry… The Doctor … will make it…” White pieces of shell hovered away from the body then snapped back down. 

Everything went black. 

“...alright…”  

Max screamed. “Wait, no no no-” 

“Max?” There was a knock at the door. “Max, are you okay? I heard some stuff falling and you screamed?” 

‘Dana!? I can’t let her get hurt!’ “I-I’m fine, Dana! Just… tripped is all!” Max hoped her voice didn’t waver too much. If Dana left, that meant whatever happened only happened to Max, she’d be content with that. 

“You sure? You sounded scared…” The door handle jiggled slightly, as Dana had only set her hand upon it. 

“Just changing! My shirt got stuck on my head and I fell over, almost banged my head against my nightstand, but I’m okay, promise!” Max hated lying, so she hoped Dana would buy the excuses she was piling up. They were reasonable enough, so she shouldn’t need to rewind to try again-

“Wait a minute, what am I doing?” 

 

<~~~~

 

“You are… scared…?” The Doctor asked with a tilt of its body. At least, Max assumed it tilted its body once more. Everything was still black. ‘Oh no…’ Max figured that her stand couldn’t rewind her body after she was pricked by her camera’s glass yesterday. But now she knew for certain: whatever happened to her she couldn’t undo. “Do not worry… The Doctor … will make it…”  

Like a vibrant projector switching on and opening a portal to a new world, sight returned. It was glorious, and Max felt relief. ‘Now on to the bigger problem: how do I beat this thing?’ Her stand wasn’t a fighting stand. She hated fighting, heck she didn’t even know how to throw a punch! How was her stand gonna know? 

The enemy stand could do something to her eyesight, as well. If it realized she could see, then it’d be really bad. It didn’t need to touch her to do it, but she could always rewind time if she needed. ‘What if it can do stuff other than just taking my ability to see? Can it fight?’  

Max studied it again. Chloe’s stand was humanoid, her own stand seemed to be humanoid as well. But this stand wasn’t. How different could stands be she wondered. 

“You are… alright?” The Doctor asked. 

“I-I can’t see.” Max lied as she strained to focus her vision on a single speck of dirt on one of Lisa’s leaves. ‘I’ll avenge you, my plant baby, I hope…’  

“I can fix anything, worry not.” The Doctor’s shell opened up once more and this time Max shot an eye over to the stand and studied it before she lost her vision once again. The face was covered in a white carapace connected to tissue on the cheeks. When the shell was down, the pieces came together to resemble a surgical mask. But when it was open Max saw unprotected flesh, big enough for her fist to connect and hopefully do something. She just had to get close. 

She rewound immediately after losing her vision, letting The Doctor reverse the effect. “T-Thank you…” 

“Anything for you, my love.”  

Bile threatened to rise. She buried it down, for now. “‘Love’? You really l-love me?” Max asked with a drop of genuine curiosity. 

The Doctor bound closer, not close enough, however, “Of course… how could one not? Your blue eyes glimmer like sapphire…” Max risked leaning forward and did her best ‘bedroom eyes’. It seemed to payoff, The Doctor took another step or two, “...your soft voice serenades the soul… your hands…”  

Max remembered seeing Victoria do it aimed towards a freshman boy once, she did it so well it made Max wish to do her bidding temporarily. She fluttered her eyelashes at the crab creature, “What about them?” 

With a shuddering breath it responded, “...soft… I want you to touch me with them…”  

Max gagged. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“...soft… I want you to touch me with them…”  

Max managed to not vomit, and managed to keep her body functions in check. “I, uh, I am curious how you feel…” She almost rewound because of how stupid that was. But- 

It leaned forward excitedly, “PLEASE… touch… please…” The Doctor lowered its head and impatiently awaited its head pat. 

“Really?” Max exclaimed before she could stop herself. ‘I can always rewind…’ “I uh, thought you were wanting something else…” 

“A… kiss…?” The Doctor requested hopefully. 

“Sssssssssssssuure! P-pucker up!” 

The Doctor obliged. The mask opened up, revealing the very human mouth and lips. 

Max didn’t hesitate. She threw a punch, but it went through the stand and into the table in front of her couch. “Gah!” she shot backwards, cradling her hand to her chest. She had hit the corner opening a nasty cut on her hand. Before The Doctor could say anything, she rewound. 

 

<~~~~

 

The mask opened up, revealing the very human mouth and lips. 

This time, Max used her stand. The heart-shaped knuckles smashed into the green puckering lips and it felt satisfying . It didn’t do much, as her stand seemed to only be as strong as herself and she wasn’t all that strong to begin with. 

“YOU! YOU TRICKSTER, MINX! I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME, MAX?” 

 

<~~~~

 

The mask opened up, revealing the very human-

The strings weren’t releasing. Max tried to pull her stand free, but they only tightened around her fingers. The Doctor was waiting for its kiss, and she was just holding her big hand in the air. She pulled further, she’d break the strings if she had to, consequences be damned. She wasn’t going to be stuck here with a crazy crab monster, she needed Chloe’s help and she had moved away from her phone. 

Max pulled her arm more and more, eventually it felt like her arm was about to be torn apart from how tight the strings were, but she had moved her arm back some. 

“...you… have one!”  

Max felt fear spike through her. It started in her heart, but quickly shot down her arm to her fingertips where the strings cut into her hand. Then, without warning, the tension released. Her arm shot forward like an arrow from an olympian’s heavy draw bow directly into the fleshy lips of The Doctor’s mouth with an even more satisfying crack before the thing was sent flying backwards out the window with its legs hitting the window sill on the way out leaving deep gouges in the trim. 

Max gripped her stand’s hand, trying to rub out the tightness of her muscle and the light tingle of pain in her knuckle from the impact. “Wowsers…” Moments later she collapsed on her back on the floor, exhaustion filling her bones as the adrenaline burned out. Her hand continued to sting, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

At least until there sounded a timid knock at her door. ‘Crap, I totes forgot about Dana! She probably heard that!’ Max pushed herself to her shaky knees. “C-coming!” She trudged to the door and cracked it open. 

“You know boys aren’t allowed here, Caulfield,” Victoria smirked. 

Max blinked. She closed the door, relishing in the flabbergasted expression on Victoria’s face as she did so. ‘You know what, Victoria? I don’t want to deal with you right now.’  

“Hey!” The door was pushed open, “Nobody shuts the door in my fa-” Victoria’s eyes widened as they trailed over the windowsill and Max’s right hand. “Max-” 

 

<~~~~

 

Max kept the door shut this time as Victoria went on her little tirade. “Nobody shuts the door in my face, bitch!” 

“Well you do always call me a nobody, so that tracks,” Max retorted tiredly. 

Victoria was silent on the other side for a moment. “Hey, you are okay, right? There isn’t anyone else in there?” 

Max scoffed, “We both know I’m not social enough to have anyone in here, and even if I did I certainly wouldn’t tell the Queen B of Blackwell about it.” 

“I heard a noise… can’t have you breaking shit and ruining my beauty sleep.” It was a weak retort, Max felt, nothing like her usual caliber. 

“I’m fine, Victoria. Just fell and-” she hissed with a grimace as she flexed her hand exacerbating the lacerations that riddled her hand in a swirling pattern. It was bleeding, had been since she threw that punch, but now instead of a slow seeping it was a trickle. “I, uh, cut my hand on something.” 

It was silent for a moment. Finally Victoria’s soft footfalls departed. ‘Finally,’ she scanned around her room, ‘I need something to wrap my hand in. Maybe one of the graphic tees I don’t wear as much? What am I saying, I love my tees!’  

“Hey, let me in.” ‘Victoria’s back?’  

“Why?” 

“Need to clean your hand, make sure there’s no broken glass in there. I have a first-aid kit, Max, open the fucking door.” 

Max frowned at the window before hastily pulling the blinds down, masking the damage for the most part. Max opened the door, but didn’t let Victoria in yet, “Not worried someone is gonna see you helping the resident hipster?” 

Victoria shook her head, “Nobody is gonna see anything, they’ve all gone to class except you and Ms. Holier-than-thou.” She pushed past Max, clicking her tongue all the while. “No wonder you cut your hand, it’s so dark in here!” She glanced around with a grimace. “Everything is cheap, too, so-” 

“I have plans, can we hurry this up?” Max grumbled. 

“What crawled up your ass?” Victoria snarked. 

Max scoffed and crossed her arms, “The same thing that tried to barge into my room uninvited.” 

Victoria froze for a moment. She smirked finally and gave an appreciative once over of the hipster, “Gotta say, the new Max Caulfield is certainly less of a headache. Makes me wonder what has gotten into you to get you to be so confident now.” She shook her head, “No, don’t tell me, it’ll ruin the mystery. Now let me see that hand.” 

It was a silent affair done on Max’s bed beneath the guiding light of her paper lanterns. Victoria had asked how Max had gotten an injury in such a pattern, but the rewinding Max was able to eventually convince Victoria that she truly didn’t know and she thought she had cut herself. The answer appeared to trouble the blonde, but she didn’t push anymore after that. 

Despite the viciousness of the blonde photographer, her grasp was incredibly gentle. Cold, but gentle. And soft. ‘It isn’t surprising, she has the money to get the best lotion ever created that, like, turns your hands into baby skin or something.’  

Victoria dabbed the disinfectant damp gauze along the trails of the spiral. They were broken trails, stuttering lines that weren’t always the same depth. She stopped the bleeding, cleaned the full wound, and gently but firmly wrapped her hand to the wrist where the trail ended. 

Max’s heart pounded. Her anxiety was spiking. Thank goodness she didn’t need to talk. The feeling had to be coming from the aching worry of the stand that could come back. That and also the fact that her bully was currently tending to her wounds in her room. What was Victoria’s angle? She could be plotting something, like owing a favour probably. 

It was the least of her concerns, at any rate. “...there. Done.” The tape was applied, the bandage was wrapped. Max did a few experimental rolls of her wrist. The wrap was mobile and not abrasive. Victoria stood up and made for the door. She spoke over her shoulder, “Don’t move it too much, the bleeding has stopped for now but if you aren’t careful it’ll open again and bleed everywhere, which will get over the very few clothes you have.” She stopped at the doorway with her hand on the knob. In a rare show of true, unabridged concern, Victoria looked at Max out of the corner of her eye. “Be careful, Max.” 

And with that she was gone, and Max was left to finally get dressed. 

 

~~~

 

Victoria Chase walked towards the quad, a tungsten weight in her mind. ‘Maxine Caulfield, she finally gets a spine after all this time? With all of the new stands popping up around town?’ She frowned. ‘If I can keep her away from me it’ll be okay. She’ll be okay.’  

Her foot scraped on a pebble once too many times, likely stuck to the bottom of her boot. “Dammit, with how much Wells makes a stink about this place’s presentation it feels like there’s shit every-” Victoria hadn’t been in many fights. Physical ones, at least. Plenty of battles of wit and cunning against new students that believed that they’d be the new Queen of Blackwell. 

Despite her inexperience with fighting, she knew the sounds and evidence of it. It wasn’t a party without a fist fight, afterall. But honestly? This was a first. A tooth had embedded itself within her boot. She used the edge of the sidewalk to scrape the tooth away and scanned the immediate area. 

The grass was scraped and a slight indent in the ground from something landing there. Victoria had better things to do, of course. She didn’t have time to go chasing after a possible murder. But then she remembers Max’s fear in seeing the strange design on her hand. ‘A stand may have marked her.’ Her feet pushed forward and she trudged into the greenery that obscured her form from the dorms. Running footsteps sounded from behind before she could get any investigation done. 

Max slammed the doors open and stumbled down the steps of the dormitories. She ran across the area towards the quad with her belongings slinging chaotically. One thing that was consistent with Maxine Caulfield was her tardiness. She stopped again, nearly eliciting a heavy sigh from Victoria. 

“Warren? Is that you?” Max approached the edge of the bushes and the colouring trees to Victoria’s right. She poked her head around the nearby tree. 

There he was, the most predatory boy of Blackwell, if you asked Victoria. He was always trying to befriend a girl and date them. It never worked, not even on Max. ‘Thank god, she has standards.’  

Warren looked like shit. Nathan bragged about ‘shutting him down’, but it looked like he absolutely should’ve been hospitalized. Maybe Nathan got him again, perhaps he was trying to be standoffish again, protecting Max’s honour. Who knows. 

“Mashk… hey…” It was grotesque, his face was swelling and a nasty colour. 

Nothing caused the bile to rise to her throat as much as Max’s next words. They were quiet, barely a whisper. “Was it you? Are you The Doctor?” 

Warren froze. “Max-” She fled. It was no longer clumsy, but frantic and terrified. Like a doe fleeing a hunting wolf. “Wait! Max!” A crab creature appeared and started pinching Warren’s flesh, “Gotta heal, gotta catch up with he-” 

“Colder than steel, just as sharp.” Victoria whispered into Warren’s ear, “I want to hurt you. Really hurt you. But killing isn’t my style.” She removed the blade of pure ice from Warren’s throat. “But if you ever, ever , come near Max Caulfield ever again with your stand I will make sure you die as painfully as possible.” 

She tossed the dagger into the air, and her stand caught it and threw it with as much force as she could near his foot, hitting her mark with near perfect accuracy. As she walked away, the realization came to her, ‘Max must have seen his stand, must have been attacked by it.’ Her gaze hardened, ‘She has a stand. Why haven’t I seen it? How haven’t I? I need to see it.’ She spotted Max hopping onto the bus that shuttles around town. 

Victoria smirked as she slipped a finger through her car key ring, ‘Who snoops on the snooper?’  

Notes:

???
User: Max Caulfield
Power: D
Speed: C
Range: C (2 meters)
Persistence: A
Precision: A
Potential: B

The Doctor
User: Warren Graham
Power: E
Speed: C
Range: A
Persistence: D
Precision: D
Potential: C

Thunderstruck
User: Chloe Price
Power: C
Speed: A
Range: C (2 meters)
Persistence: D
Precision: B
Potential: D

These are the stand stats I am comfortable sharing thus far! I will share others as I continue this story and they become more relevant. If you think it'd be better for me to insert the stand stats within the text let me know! I hope to see you soon!

Chapter 6: Training Day

Summary:

Max Caulfield learns more about her powers alongside her best friend, but things get repetitive when an unexpected guest arrives to shake things up.

Notes:

HELLO!!!
I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to post chapters! School has been getting to me alongside the numerous games coming out recently. I promise I haven't stopped writing, however. In fact, I'm a little ahead at the moment!
HOWEVER, I am going to stay ahead of the curve and (hopefully) post new chapters regularly by posting weekly. No promises, though, I have ADHD and get distracted a lot.
Anyways I hope you enjoyed! Thanks to my friends on discord who have assisted me in reading my works before posting and giving me advice and info for this story!

Chapter Text

The ride to the Two Whales Diner was a stark contrast to her morning thus far. ‘So that was a stand attack...’ She slumped in her seat and released a shuddering sigh. ‘At least Warren didn’t follow me, I’m not sure what I would’ve done if he followed me.’ She popped her headphones in and clicked play on her phone letting the soft tunes of Crosses by José González ease her into dissociation. 

It had only been about twenty hours since she had gained her stand, and already her life had changed so much. Her life had become dangerous, a true action movie, something like Warren would show her. 

She grimaced. It hurt to think about Warren. He was her friend, one that did so much to help her. Now? It sorta made sense what everyone was saying now that she knew he was interested in her. She might’ve said yes if he had come out and said it, though when she told herself that she felt gross. Probably just from what he did that morning. 

The thing that brought her out of her stupor were the glorious (metaphorical) golden arches of the sign. One solid curve indicating a glorious head and the second arch leading from the head to the tip of the tale. Max remembered asking her father, Ryan, where the second whale was as a child. The answer was the whale above the diner itself. 

Now it was just the one whale, something must’ve happened to the one that hung above the large letters of the diner’s name sitting upon the roof. Perhaps it was still there, just fallen and waiting for someone to help it to its feet. Max stepped off the bus. 

With everything different about the town of Arcadia Bay, there were still the handful of things that anchored the town to the past. The Two Whales Diner was one of those things. It was built in the early 60s and retains much of the same style it originally came with, which of course Max fell in love with at first sight. THough, this did mean the restaurant was in desperate need of replacing many of the old components or at the very least refurbishing them. The windows were tinted from age, even from across the street Max could tell the seats were getting sun bleached and the red pleather was beginning to crack. Even the neon signs were all flickering. Some more than others. 

Max chuckled, ‘If my life were a horror movie then all of the lights would go out except the D, I, and E.’ 

The sign’s lights all went out except for three letters. 

Max swallowed down the chill that went up her spine, “Yipes, creepy...” She made her way into the diner without further delay. She had kept Chloe waiting long enough, and besides had a story to tell her. 

Before she even stepped through the doors nostalgia rode the wave of scents and smells to slam into Max with the force of a tidal wave. So many memories, not all good, but certainly most were positive. It was like she had taken a spin in a DeLorean with how many familiar sensations she had. The time she and Chloe had a food fight in a booth, the time she and Chloe did a ‘stick up’ and were chased out all the way to the beach before the cop stopped following them. If she remembered correctly it was Officer Barry. 

And there he was, Officer Barry, enjoying the same coffee and pie slice she had seen him eating that day before he played along with the cops and robbers antics she and Chloe were pulling that day. He looked considerably older now, more weathered. He was no longer the young man ready to play with children at the drop of his cap. 

The jukebox was playing a country number in the back, not really her style but it was a fun beat, she supposed. Definitely an older song. The lights were fading, stickers on the buttons peeling. 

“Hey, Mad Max!” The beanie-clad punk leaned out of the booth waving her arm frantically. Max skipped over and sat down on her usual side, sighing and relishing the feeling of the old seats lofting her butt. She had forgotten, and others may have sat here, but the seat remembered her well. 

“Hey, Chloe, sorry I’m late,” she sighed. 

Chloe jabbed her finger at her, “You better be! My mom has been dying to know who she’s been waiting on to take an order.” 

Max raised a brow, “I hope you aren’t expecting me to pay for our food, I don’t have the money to feed us both.” 

Chloe waved dismissively, “Oh, come on! You got ways to make hella cash, I don’t!” 

Max pinched her shoulders together, “It... I don’t know, I haven’t had the best experience when I use these powers. The first few times I used my power people kept getting hurt immediately after.” 

Chloe hummed, “You say the first few times, so now it’s better!” 

“There has to be a cost here. I mean-” Max leaned in closely, lowering her voice, “-I’m a human time machine-” 

“Your stand is a time machine.” 

Max rolled her eyes, “Yeah, and it can do something really really strong with no limits, somehow.” 

Chloe shrugs, “Why not enjoy it?” 

“Because what if using this power gives me cancer or something? When I rewind I don’t rewind back. What if that makes it so that I’m cutting short my lifespan and making myself age faster?” 

She nods, “Okay, okay, I see the concern. However: stands don’t attack their user.” 

Max scoffed, “How do you know!?” 

“I’m the master of stands, had mine the longest out of everyone you’ll meet.” Chloe tilted her head up behind Max, “But enough of that for now, look alive, Maxipad.” 

“Wha-” 

“As I live and breath, Max Caulfield!” The first syllable was all that was required to begin the drawing of a smile across Max’s face. She turned ninety degrees in her seat with the urge to spring out and hug the waitress. 

Joyce Price, Chloe’s mother (or whatever her new name was) was not nearly as different as Chloe was. Her golden hair was done up in a practical ponytail. Her green eyes were fond, though not without age. Crows feet clawed deep lines towards the corners of her eyes and there were deeper lines in her face than she had only around three years ago. She looked far older, now. William’s death hit her hard, it seemed. 

She couldn’t hold it anymore. She exploded like a bullet, knocking Joyce back with the recoil. “Jesus, Max,” Joyce laughed, “and I thought I missed ya!”

“Never more than I missed you, Joyce!” Max claimed confidently enough that it might be true. 

Joyce separated from the hug, “Alright, alright, I’m still on the clock. What can I get ya? You’re only getting coffee, Chloe, don’t ask.” Chloe pouted as Max pondered. She wasn’t given a menu. Giving her a menu would’ve been an insult. 

“Lemme get... a plate of Belgian waffles! Extra syrup!” 

Joyce jotted it down on her notepad, “Alright! I’ll get that out to you soon, darlin’.” She went back to the kitchen. 

Chloe stopped pouting and leaned forward with excitement, “Soooooo... what took you?” She wagged her brows, “Was it a boy?” 

Max was silent, her smile dissolving away until she bit her lip. “Chloe, I need you to stay calm-” 

“Was it Prescott?” Chloe hissed. Her hands gripped the table so tightly, and her stand’s hands were threatening to crush the table. 

“This isn’t calm, Chloe!” Max whispered frantically. “It wasn’t him, but I was attacked by a stand, Chloe.” 

Chloe sat silently, but not stoically, while Max recounted that morning. “Wait, he blinded you?” 

“Yeah.” 

“How the hell did he do that?” 

Max shrugged, “I don’t know, he just did.” 

“Well that’s terrifying, Max.” 

“Tell me about it.” 

She continued telling Chloe about it all. All the anger disappeared when Max described how she defeated The Doctor. “You hit him so hard he shot out of the window?” Max nodded neutrally. “You hit him so hard his face got fucked up?” Max hesitated and nodded with guilt. “Oh come on, you punched a creep!” 

“He helped me a lot, Chloe! He’s my friend...” 

Chloe wagged her finger, “Nuh-uh, he was your friend. Now he’s a creep with a fucked up face doomed to never get any action because that’s what that creep deserves.” 

Max shrunk in on herself, “Wouldn’t that make him want to attack girls more? Like try to force something? I doubt he would but-” 

“Oh shit, we might need to kill him in that case...” 

Chloe wasn’t joking. “No, we aren’t killing anyone, Chloe!” Max hissed. “Look, I’m going to talk to him later and get him help. I don’t want to hurt people, which is all I’ve done with these stupid powers.” 

“Here y’all are! Bacon for my freeloadin’ daughter-” a small plate of extra crispy bacon slid in front of Chloe, “-and waffles for the prodigal daughter!” 

“Thanks, Joyce!” “Thanks, mom!” 

When Joyce was far enough away Chloe mumbled through bacon bits, “After you’re done we’ll get in my truck, make sure your powers are safer and you get some good training with them, ‘kay? 

Max nodded, washing down her fears with maple syrup. 

 

~~~

 

“Alright, open your eyes, Max!” 

“Why are we at a junk yard?” 

Chloe pouted, “Oh come on! I told you to close your eyes!” 

“Not my nose, though, Chlo!” Max laughed as she opened her eyes and studied her surroundings. 

The junkyard was of rust and dust. Trash and waste were little here, save for the aluminum cans and mostly empty green-tinted beer bottles. Grass seemed to avoid the place leaving dry dirt that puffed up clouds with each step. It didn’t stink, thankfully. It was clearly no true dump, but rather a place of forgotten dreams and abandoned treasures. Cars, toys, a book or two. Futures left to rot, the vehicles that would take someone away from the past destroyed in favour of living in their mistakes. Perhaps the leaving of the vehicle was the mistake? 

‘Don’t get all philosophical, Max.’ She shook her head, “Soooooo... this is where we’ll do the training?” 

Chloe nodded, “Yup! Great place to test stuff out when you need to be free to break stuff.” She gestured to a stack of black sludge. Or no, it’s a stack of tires. It had been melted down over time by softballs of heat. “I found out I can do lightning punches. Hurts like a bitch and I have to bandage my hands after but it is badass, innit?” 

Max agreed with a nod. “Hella badass. How’d you find out you could do that?” 

Chloe’s smile faltered, “I-I, uh, let’s just say it was similar to how you found out about your punchy-thing.” 

Max frowned at that. ‘Couldn’t have been good, then.’ “So, what’s my training? How do we do this?” 

Chloe brightened quickly, like a dying flame rejuvenated by the addition of more fuel, “Oh yeah! So, controlled environment, easy place to test your stand and figure out what it can do.” 

“And if I get hurt?” 

“Well...” Chloe began as she scratched the back of her head, “I... we stop? Go to the hospital if it’s super serious?” 

Max worked her jaw around, attempting to find an appropriate response that wasn’t calling her childhood best friend an idiot. “Chloe... that’s...” 

“Listen,” Chloe interrupted her, “There really is no safe way to test a stand in my experience. You either have stands that fight good in general or stands that fight bad in general. We just need to figure out which one yours is.” 

“Alright,” Max conceded, “what do you have in mind then?” 

“Well, let’s see what you know first, tell me what you can do,” Chloe answered. 

Max nodded, “Well, first I can rewind time.” She rubbed her arm awkwardly, “Not very easy to show, but-” 

“How long can you do that for?” 

“Oh, uh,” Max checked her phone’s time. 12:47. She held her hand up and felt the strands of time coil with no slack. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“Alright, open your eyes, Max!” Chloe spun around a few feet away, “What the fuck?” 

Max called out with a wave, “Over here, Chloe!” As the punk approached Max explained, “You showed me and I wanted to check how long I could rewind. It’s about a minute and a half, give or take thirty seconds.” 

“What happens when you reach your maximum?” 

“I’ve never had a hangover, but from the Vortex Club VIPs I hear groaning the mornings after one of their parties I think it feels like the worst version of one of those.” 

“Heh, yeah, I think I getcha.” Chloe listed off with her fingers, “So, headache, dizziness, nausea?” 

Max nodded, “Yeah, for like a few seconds. Feels like everything is spinning in a spiral.” But it was more, she just didn’t know how to say it. She had gone through the feelings several times over the past day and a half, allowing her to quickly shake off the effects. At least, the physical effects. It’s hard to shake off the feeling of experiencing your thoughts, your feelings in a manner not in the first person. She felt her disappointment at seeing the rusty junkyard, the happiness of spending time with Chloe, but it was all faded slightly. Not like looking back on a memory, too close to feeling it for that. 

“Huh, neat imagery.” Chloe glanced between where Max had been and where she was now, “I will say that the whole disappearing act is very cool.” 

Max rolled her eyes, “Only problem it has is that I have to get to the spot first.” 

“Maybe, but can you imagine appearing and disappearing like Batman all the time around a guy? Then when he thinks he’s got you-” Chloe clasped her hands together and forced them apart like an explosion, “-poof! You’re gone!” 

“But then they’ll know I can rewind time, Chloe.” 

“Not necessarily, Max.” She pulled the sleeve of her jacket up eventually revealing a scar branching from her elbow and filling out the area surrounding like a fern. “I won a fight against a stand user who didn’t know I could shoot lightning from my fleshy body. Elbowed him and it hurt like hell, but I won.” She smirked, “A fight isn’t about strength or speed, especially with stands. You can have the fastest stand, but that doesn’t help you if you don’t know your opponent. You can beat super speed with planning, super strength with knowing where to strike.” 

“Time travel by knowing the rules...” 

Chloe snapped her fingers, “You got it, girl. What we’re gonna be working on is finding your limits here rather than when you really need them.” 

Max rubbed the back of her neck, “Do we need to practice fighting? Why can’t I practice talking it out or something?” 

Chloe’s smile slowly dissipated. “You don’t always have the choice of talking things out. Sometimes ‘being the bigger person’ is being the stronger person, the person that will rain hell down if fucked with. If you want, we can practice being talking, but it’ll be after we practice fighting. Besides, you literally just got attacked this morning. You’d think you’d wanna do more fighting.” 

Max sighed, “F-fine, but if you get hurt I won’t help you.” 

 

~~~

 

A dull hammer, or maybe a baseball bat. A dull, hollow clang against the side of her head. The tempo was in time with her heartbeat. The blunt force was outside -no, it was inside. Perhaps it was something trying to hatch from an embryo hidden at the center of her grey matter. The unintelligible noise wasn’t helping either. It was like listening to adults from Charlie Brown warbling out sentences through a megaphone next to the embryo. Maybe she was giving birth to an alien Charlie Brown adult. “Guh...” 

“MMMMph!” 

God, it hurt. Her brain was swelling in attempts to free itself from the painful confines of her skull, her world was swirling in blues, rustic oranges, and autumn leaves, and her stomach was churning. “Sssshhhuuud-uuupp... urgh...” she slurred. 

The sound ceased. Max reveled in the silence. Ooo, that was nice. Her brain settled down, her stomach eased, and the world slowed its swirling to a stop leaving it all a more distinguishable blur. The sun was bright and was her only complaint until a shadow hovered over her. 

“Max?” a voice boomed. 

“Ssssshhhhh... too loud...” Max groaned. 

“I’m whispering, Max,” the voice boomed a little quieter. 

“Then shuddup for a minute...” Max draped a hand over her eyes, “...gimme five more minutes...” 

 

“Alright, Max.” Chloe whispered, “I pushed you too hard, that’s on me.” She wiped the blood off of Max’s philtrum and flicked the droplets from her finger. ‘We only worked with her time travel for five minutes, though. Maybe the ability is super taxing? Especially when rewinding minutes at a time?’ Thunderstruck lifted Max gently off Chloe’s thighs and replaced the photographer back on top of the old car hood. 

It seemed to be productive. Max was incredible when she was focused, always had been. When she wanted pictures of Bongo as a kid she got one after several days of sleepovers of effort. It was worth it, she still had the photo in her lockbox under her bed. Today was no different. 

Chloe felt the same as she had then: ecstatic. Back then she would get a picture of her cat, in the present she would get her friend stronger and the duo would be an unstoppable force. However, afterwards when Max collapsed from exhaustion both times Chloe felt personally responsible for Max’s collapse. 

She had made different barrels get set up around the area, made objects disappear, and even teleported around. It was very cool, at least. Knowing that this was the start and that Chloe would be more careful in the future helped ease that guilt less than she told herself it did. 

“Why the long face?” 

Chloe’s heart leapt into her throat. She spun around and brought her stand out. A man stood several meters away, well out of Thunderstruck’s range. To be expected, she supposed. Frank Bowers was no man to be trifled with. He was careful, and paranoid. “Frank,” she growled. 

Frank Bowers was avoided by the whole town save for the few people looking for drugs, of which he was the sole provider of. And no wonder he was avoided, his appearance screamed ‘shady’. His greasy dirty blonde hair was unkempt and never styled save for an occasional running of his fingers through the locks. His clothes were too familiar, looking stiff and unwashed for weeks. His black jacket was unzipped enough to show off his tattoos that covered his neck and sprawled down towards his chest. He cut an intimidating figure enough for Chloe to not want to mess with him. Unfortunately, she had business with him. “Sorry for intrudin’, seemed like a good time since your friend is taking a nap.” 

“Glad you’re sorry for intruding, but if you’re really sorry you should fuck off.” 

“Or?” Frank took a step forward. “You’ve seen my stand, but you didn’t stick around to understand it. But yours? I know all about yours.” He took another step. 

Chloe reached for the back of her belt beneath her jacket. ‘Guess what, I’m not stupid, bitch.’ “What was it you’ve always said? ‘Always be carrying?” And she would’ve drawn the revolver. It would’ve been a done deal. Frank’s stand couldn’t stop a bullet, it shouldn’t. Except, the revolver was gone. ‘Shit! Did I drop it??’ 

Frank laughed, and Chloe felt a chill settle over her. “Lose something?” he mocked as he reached behind him, in the same area Chloe had. He froze, his smirk giving way to anger. “Where’s my knife, bitch!” 

“Where’s my gun, dickface!” 

“You brought a gun!?” Frank had the audacity to look shocked. 

“Can’t rely on a stand to defend you all the time,” Chloe quoted as she moved her footing into a fighting stance with her stand squaring up, “you seem to take your own advice, as well, being you brought a knife.” 

Frank smirked, “Well, well, maybe you have been listening, meaning you know you owe me my money and know you are late in paying me.” 

“Don’t got it now, Frank, give me a week.” 

“Ha!” Frank cackled, “C’mon, Chloe, you said that every week for three weeks now. I’ve been awfully patient.” A brown sludge dripped down his hand to the ground, “Times up, you need to pay up or else.” 

Chloe knew she should have fled. The same voice that told her that meeting with Nathan twice was a terrible idea that would get her hurt.But then she glanced over her shoulder at Max. She was sleeping on the top of the car. Chloe wouldn’t leave Max behind, no matter how justified such an action would be. At least, it would have been just two days ago. 

“How about you fuck off, Frank,” Chloe challenged with a tightening of her frame, “you’ve never been invited here.” 

Frank scoffed, “Oh, so we’re following the rules now, are we?” 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Whatever, Frank, we doing this or what?” 

Frank was still for a moment, his face unreadable. “...fine. Have it your way.” 

Chloe pushed her feet forward, charging towards Frank. Before she within range for her stand to do any damage she slid on a puddle of mud. It sent her sliding into a wall of rusted cars. Pain radiated from her palm, a deep gash from an old broken windshield wiper. “Fuck!” she hissed. 

Frank shook his head, “Dammit, I knew you were an idiot but really? You couldn’t even take Damon, what’d you think was gonna happen when you took my money and tried to fight me over collecting?” 

Chloe flung her arm out, an object rocketing out towards Frank. The dry ground in front of him liquified and shot up in a pillar. Impaled in the center of the muddy pillar was a switchblade. “...so ya did take my fucking knife.” 

“Or you dropped it when you were stalking me and Thunderstruck was oh so kind to return it to you,” Chloe snarked. 

The pillar whipped the blade back towards Chloe, whose stand shot out and backhanded it away where it clattered against metal somewhere in the junkyard. 

Thunderstruck shot forward with a flurry of blows slamming into a wall of mud. She grit her teeth at the impacts. It was like slamming an aluminum bat into a sturdy brick wall, the force reverberating throughout her arms until the pain was too great to throw any more hands. “Dammit!” 

“Damon had a pretty strong stand, y’know? Tried pulling that shit, too.” Frank admired the mud slipping through his fingers and swirling around his hand like an amorphous alien sludge from a comic book, “I hate using it after that day. You owe me a lot, Price.” 

“Yeah?” Chloe growled, “I-” 

“I killed my friend, Chloe. He may have been a crazy piece of shit, but he was still my friend.” The ground shifted beneath her feet as a mound of mud surged Frank upwards. “I still blame you for that, y’know.” 

Chloe swallowed dryly, “Frank, I’m-” 

“Shoulda left town with my money, you idiot.” A tentacle of mud flung out hitting Chloe in the abdomen sending her flying across the junkyard. She recalled Thunderstruck to her to form 

Around her back protectively. She hit the ground lighter than expected, probably because she was expecting to slam into a car or something. She clambered to her feet thinking, ‘Can’t win cleanly, gotta get creative. Maybe hit him with a car or something?’  

A quick survey told her that was going to be a fruitless effort. No vehicle was in any shape to even roll. The only things sliding would be boats, but- ‘Wait…’ A particularly large boat was at rest upon the hill overlooking the junkyard. Was Frank strong enough to withstand a hit from the old fishing vessel? She had to assume not. And wouldn’t you know it, the only thing holding the thing up was some cheap wood. ‘Perfect.’  

Chloe stumbled over to the wooden pillar and leaned against it for support as Frank approached. “Not running away? Thought that was your dream, Price.” 

“Right now my dream is kicking your ass,” she grunted. 

Frank shook his head and sighed, “You really are an idiot. Fine.” Another mud tentacle flung out once he was about five meters away. Chloe ducked, allowing the mud to shatter the wooden pillar. The boat slid down quickly, and Frank was unable to move fast enough to dodge it. 

Chloe, meanwhile, wasn’t worried. A spilled barrel of water allowed her to use Thunderstruck to slide through the puddle leading a safe distance away as fast as the electrical current could carry her. “I love having super powers!” she cheered. 

The groaning of metal slowed her celebrations. “Goddammit, can you just fuck off!?” 

She turned around and sure enough Frank was dragging himself out of the dented wreckage. A wall of dried mud separated him and the vessel. He was sweating and fuming, “You bitch! You tried to kill me!” 

“You’re the one who brought a fucking knife, don’t start!” 

“Says the bitch who brought a gun!” Frank retorted. 

A reflection of the sun caught Chloe’s eye. A sheet of metal, small enough for her to carry. ‘Could use that as a shield to get close to him, but what then?’ She took a step back, her foot fell atop something thin and stiff. She glanced down. ‘Frank’s knife?’  

Frank began his approach, “You just don’t get it, do you? You really don’t? Ha!” He laughed bitterly. “You will, eventually, you little coward.” 

Thunderstruck shot to Chloe’s left and grabbed the sheet of metal while Chloe reached down and grabbed the knife discreetly. Luckily Frank was focused on Thunderstruck, ‘Now I just gotta get close.’  

She placed the knife in her uninjured hand and pulled her stand to her. The sheet metal dented and warped with each strike from Frank’s stand. Chloe filled it with electricity hoping that might help slow down the destruction of her makeshift shield. It would be destroyed by Frank’s strength, but not in time. 

Chloe pushed forwards, charging closer and closer to him. The mud tentacles slammed into the middle sending a forceful shock through her arm. She ditched the shield, now at the appropriate distance as she dug her nails into the wounded palm. She lashed out with the bloody palm, throwing blood into Frank’s face. 

“Gah! Fuck!” Frank stumbled back, the mud disappearing. 

“Get fucked you stalker piece of shit!” Chloe rushed forward with the knife and thrust forward. 

Frank waved a hand and a wall of mud struck out. Then another, and another. Chloe stepped side to side, swayed and weaved through the blind attacks until she found her opening. She took her chance and charged. 

She roared with the blade about to meet its mark until a rod of mud slammed into her diaphragm hard enough to fling her back into a pile of old televisions. 

“Urgh…” Chloe groaned. She felt hard plastic and faux wood jabbing her back, lacerations and abrasions all over her arms and even some shards of glass embedded into her legs. She let her head fall back, utterly exhausted. ‘C’mon, Max, I know I pushed you today, but I need you right now… your captain needs her first mate…’  

Frank stomped through the dirt as he rapidly approached. “You done?” he growled as he towered above her. 

Chloe felt the inside of an old CRT television and smirked, “Against you? Never .” She put a charge into the CRT’s tube. Frank’s eyes widened. The light flashed through the tube like an explosion through the barrel of a gun pushing the payload out the other side. In this case the payload wasn’t lead, but the glass screen of the television set. Frank pulled his arms up to block but wasn’t fast enough, nor was his stand fast enough to prevent him from getting hurt and sent stumbling back. 

Chloe tried to push herself to her feet to little success. The televisions were like boulders tumbling around, giving no stable purchase as she slipped and fell to the dirt with more cuts than she had when she was laying down. When she finally brought her head back up Frank was limping slowly towards her. She huffed and pushed her shaking, strained, arms up, “I misjudged you. When it’s to harass teenage girls you really will put in some effort. 

“You-” Frank’s grimace was silenced with a choking sound. A mechanical click sounded above her, one all too familiar. 

“B-back off, I don’t want to hurt anybody.” Chloe looked over her shoulder. Mad Max Caulfield was holding the revolver Chloe had gotten from David yesterday. There was a slight tremor in her hands, but it was stable enough to believe she’d pull the trigger. 

“Don’t play with that, it ain’t a toy.” Frank took a step forward with his hand held out with the palm facing the sky. 

Chloe wondered how Max wasn’t afraid, or at least didn’t look afraid. Something in her eyes changed in an instant from being fearful and anxious to unreadable. Hardened. Chloe’s brows pinched together, ‘What happened? She’s just been napping this whole time-’  

Max’s hands were steady now. The white knuckle grip now eased, still tight but not tight enough to disturb her aim, that which was solely on Frank Bowers. “Your stand isn’t fast enough to save you from a bullet. You will leave. You won’t bother us again for a while, understand?” 

Frank looked between the two girls. Upon the careful study of the surprised expression of Chloe he inched backwards as he held up his hands in surrender, “Alright, alright, I’m leaving, see?” He limped back. “I’m gonna turn around and leave. But I expect my money soon, got it? You didn’t win today!” 

It took a few minutes, but Frank departed. It took a minute later until Chloe felt safe enough to release the breath she was holding, “Shit… that was a pretty tough fight. Still, did pretty well for being alone, eh Max? Max?” 

The gun started to shake. It began to slip from her fingers. Thunderstruck gently caught it before it fell from  her hands and returned it to Chloe’s back waistband. Max collapsed into Chloe and wailed. “The hell!? Max, what’s-” 

“Y-you died! Stabbed, shot, crushed… you killed him a-and cried a-and I tried to help you so much but you got hurt anyways-” 

Chloe cradled her first mate in her arms, “Slow down! Fill me in here once you’ve calmed down a little, yeah?” 

 

~~~

 

‘This has to work this time…’ Max thought blearily. She could feel the strings of time taking their toll in her straining against time and fate. 

She had rewound so many times trying to find a way to win during the fight, but that only ever ended with Chloe or Frank dying. So, the only variable she has left to change is how she is involved. 

To start, she grabbed the gun. There was no need for sleight of hand to keep Chloe from noticing, she wouldn’t remember this anyways. 

“Max!? What are you-” 

 

<~~~~ 

 

She tossed the revolver into her bag. Frank’s knife would be harder, but she could get it fast. Let the fight progress enough, Chloe gets stabbed again, knife is easy to get. It was still hard after all of these times of Chloe being stabbed in the abdomen and throat to not try to help her. The headache was helping her ignore the guilt for now, at least. She pulled the knife out of her best friend’s throat and tried to ignore the punk choking on a throatful of blood before rewinding. 

 

<~~~~

 

After she had cleaned the knife for the most part using her shirt she tossed it into an old car with a broken windshield wiper. ‘Good, that’s done. Now for the hard part.’ The hardest part was going to be setting things up to give Chloe ways to win without killing Frank (hopefully). 

Spilling a water barrel was hard, but her stand’s charge punch knocked it down easily with minimal damage to herself. Hopefully if Chloe was under the boat she’d have the chance to escape the crushing weight. She moved planks of wood with nails out of the way so Chloe wouldn’t step on them again and be easy pickings for Frank to send her into the pile of TVs. Max placed some planks against a few specific cars that hit Chloe previously. 

By the time she had taken care of it all her head was swelling against her skull in rhythm with a hammer hitting a nail. She stumbled towards Chloe, intending to give her captain the final warning, “mud… Chlo… bewarrrre…” 

But it all went dark too soon. 

 

~~~

 

Max sniffled, “I never want to see you die again. I will never let that happen again.” 

Chloe smiled sympathetically, “Don’t worry Max, it won’t happen again, I promise. Just take care of yourself first, alright?” 

Max didn’t say anything. Most thought Chloe was the stubborn one. They hadn’t seen Max be stubborn. She tried to pretend she didn’t keep track of the times her best friend had died that afternoon. 

She remained silent, opting to instead bury her head into Chloe’s shoulder. She took in the scent. Weed and smoke and AXE deodorant. No stain of iron and copper in the air, no gurgling from a split open throat. Chloe was alive and mostly uninjured. She was alive

“C’mon, let’s get the hell outta here,” Chloe pushes off the car hood with a grunt of effort. “Had enough rust and dirt in my lungs for one day and I don’t even have any weed to mellow out with after all that.” 

Max sniffled and wiped the viscous mixture of snot and blood from her nose and shakily followed, R-right. I could use a nap.” 

 

~~~

Chapter 7: The Fall

Summary:

The Fall of a friend, the fall of an enemy, the rise of a situation.

Notes:

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of attempted suicide.

Sorry for the late updates, school has been eating time lately. I have been getting the next few chapters ready as well.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Until next time!

P.S. thank you my friend for beta reading my chapter and giving me the title and summary!

Chapter Text

Max was shaken gently awake. “Whuh?” 

“I said we’ve arrived back at Blackhell, sleepyhead.” 

Max glanced around through bleary eyes. The world was spinning, her head still hurting but to a far lesser degree. The golden hour was an hour away, sending warm rays across the trees. It seemed to have rained earlier if how the grass glistened was any indicator. Maybe that was why nobody was in the quad? 

“...Trevor and Justin aren’t out.” Max looked over. Chloe’s face was steeled in a frown, “Something happened here.” 

“I’ll call-” she almost said Warren, “-Dana, she always knows what’s going on.” She pulled out her phone and blanched. She had several missed calls from Warren (no surprise there), but she had so many more missed calls from Dana, Juliet, Brooke, and an unknown number. There were a lot of texts from all of the people, but the Unknown’s was particularly noteworthy. 

 

UNKNOWN: WHERE ARE YOU

UNKNOWN: ANSWER YOUR PHONE

UNKNOWN: PLEASE

 

The next message, the most recent from thirty minutes ago, dropped a weight down her heart. 

 

UNKNOWN: shes in the hospital, max.

UNKNOWN: im srry. 

 

“Go to the hospital, Chloe.” 

Chloe tilted her head, “What?” 

“The hospital! Now!” Max shouted as she began mashing her fingers against the keyboard in a frantic panic.

 

YOU: What happened?

DANA: Max! Were u ben, girl? U were missing all day! 

YOU: I was out with a friend, got hurt. I’m fine now. 

YOU: What happened? Someone’s in the hospital? 

DANA: Kate tried to 

 

“Oh my god…” Max slapped a hand over her mouth as the phone slipped from her grasp. 

“What!? What!? I’ve been asking you what’s been happening for forever now, Max!” 

“Kate… she…” she managed to choke around the lump in her throat. “...she tried to… end it…” 

Chloe stiffened. “Fuck. Alright, we’ll be there in a few, as long as you hold on tight.” 

 

YOU: Who is this? Do you know what 

room Kate is in?

UNKNOWN: shes in room 403. im so so sorry max. 

YOU: Why? What did you do? 

UNKNOWN: everything. nothing. 

 

Max frowned. Not a lot to go off, but if she had to guess… 

 

YOU: Don’t apologize to me, Victoria. I’ll be 

there soon.

 

There was no response to that, but it was read. Good. ‘Better hope God is real, Victoria, because he’s the only one that’s going to be able to save you.’  

A few minutes later they arrived at the hospital. Max immediately hopped out, and Chloe stayed behind. Max wouldn’t blame her for that, no. Max still hated hospitals after seeing William in it, and it was certainly not helping that this was the same hospital. 

But Kate was in there, and Max was not leaving another friend behind. She squeezed through the sliding glass doors of the lobby that were opening too slowly. She got to the front desk, “Excuse me, I need to go to room four o’ three? My friend is in there and-” 

The older woman at the desk startled before schooling her features and holding up her hands to make a calming motion, “Slow down, miss, that room is only permitted to have one visitor at a time and you should sit down and-” 

Max rolled her eyes and walked away. She rewound seconds later despite the pain in her head. She sped towards the elevator and made her way towards Kate’s room. The elevator felt too slow. Maybe she should have taken the stairs? No, she wasn’t that fast. Finally she got off the elevator and ran towards room 403. 

She froze. Her hand hovered above the door handle. Her heart was pounding. What would she say? Could she hug Kate? Could she talk to her? Oh dog, what if Kate had tubes and stuff? She didn’t even know how Kate tried to- 

The door quietly opened and someone backed into her. The individual swung around with a weak scowl, “Watch it-” her expression fell. “Max…” she sighed as her entire frame slouched. 

Max had always secretly hoped that one day, Victoria Chase would be knocked down a peg or two. Her high and mighty attitude would be brought down to the attitude of peasants such as Max herself. But now that she was actually seeing Victoria brought lower it wasn’t satisfying. 

Victoria’s clothes were a mess. A red button up under a black sweater vest that would normally look worth hundreds of dollars now looked like it was plucked out of a goodwill bag. Her skirt and tights looked torn, particularly on the knees where the skin was raw and scraped. Her black flats were scuffed. Max loved those shoes. 

“Victoria,” Max said measuredly. 

Victoria’s eyes widened as she looked Max up and down, “Jesus Christ Max, did you get mugged??” 

Max shook her head, “What makes you say that?” Victoria looked aghast as she pointed down at her chest and gestured broadly at the lower half of her face. Max slipped her phone from her back pocket and winced at her reflection. She was drenched in blood. It was dry and chipping at her face, and her white print t-shirt was now a rusty brown from the collar down to her sternum. “Oh. Don’t worry about it. How’s Kate?” 

Victoria stiffened, but answered, “She’s… not great.” Victoria looked towards the closed door, “She tried to… god …” 

“I know,” Max snapped, “What I don’t know is what led up to it and what happened after. She’s okay?” 

Victoria nodded, “Physically, yeah, she’s fine. I was able to talk her down.” She rubbed her hand subconsciously, “I always thought it was an act, the whole Jesus thing. Just thought it was for attention. She was so much more likeable and I just can’t compete.” 

Max’s brow furrowed, “‘Compete’? Why do you need to compete with anyone ? You’re Victoria Chase, you’re rich and the best photographer in the school!” 

Victoria barked an undignified laugh before slapping her hand over her mouth. “That’s funny, Max, really funny, and humble.” She shook her head, “But anyways, I talked her down, got her into the ambulance, and I’ve been here since.” 

“You talked her down?” Max asked skeptically, “How’d you know she was going to…” she frowned as she realized she didn’t fully know what happened even now. 

“Uh, well…” Victoria began while rubbing her neck guiltily, “It all started this afternoon when I got back on campus for class. I was going to Mark’s class, I got back a little late, but Kate was talking to him. She was… really upset. She brought up that she…” Victoria faltered. “...she thought she was drugged at that Vortex Club party.” 

Max did a double take. “Drugged? By who?” 

Victoria looked so hurt. She hesitated to answer, working her jaw trying to get the words out. The closer she got to getting a word out the more she looked like she was digging a dagger into her soul. “She said… she thought it may have been Nathan.” 

“Nathan.” 

Victoria nodded, “Mark was really terse with her. He made her cry and shit and she ran, but I followed Kate because I figured she was lying, trying to shift the blame of that video on someone else, you know?” 

“Not really,” Max muttered. 

Victoria shrugged, “Well, it was what was going through my head. Anyways, I followed her to the dorms. She went to the roof-” 

“Oh my god…” 

“I… I told her to wait, that I wanted to listen to her, really listen to her.” She sighed deeply, “I don’t know what would have happened if she didn’t start talking.” 

“What did she say?” 

Victoria glanced at the door again, “She said she was tired, but it’d be best if you heard it from her, I think. I need to use the bathroom, anyway.” She pulled out a small package of makeup wipes, “You should clean up before you go in.”

Max watched Victoria walk down the hall. The once proud blonde who would hold her head up as high as she held her status above others now was slouched to about Max’s height. No longer did she tower like the richest skyscrapers above the hovels below. It was sobering. This wasn’t a dream, it was real. Her friend died several times today and she wasn’t able to even save her herself, she only was able to give Chloe the tools to save herself. And because she tired herself out she wasn’t around to save Kate. 

Max wiped off her face and neck until the package ran out before she opened the door and entered the room. She was expecting a more serious sight, like Kate restrained to the bed or a pale and gaunt face. Maybe one in bandages on life support after being hit by a bus. 

But no, Kate was just fine. She was in a hospital gown and under white sheets. An IV was linked to her arm pushing the nutrients she had been neglecting herself for weeks. She looked far better than Max had thought she would, better than she had in a while. 

The door clicked close behind her. Kate lifted her eyelids slowly, “Mmmmax?” she slurred. 

Max smiled and released a breath she had been holding. She sat down in the chair by the bed, “Hey Kate. How are you doing?” 

Kate smiled with a loopy look, “Oh, swell, Max. The doctors gave me something to help with the pain.” 

Max frowned with concern, “Pain?” 

Kate gestured vaguely, “Emotions, brain hurt, you know.” Max didn’t but it was fine because Kate was okay, she would be fine. “You didn’t have to come, Max.” 

“I did, Kate, I should’ve been here with you today.” 

Kate shook her head with a kind smile, “You wouldn’t really have done much different than Victoria did.” 

“I can think of a few things,” Max spat bitterly. 

Kate shook her head, however, “No, I wasn’t really wanting help, just wanting an end to it all. I wasn’t ready to be saved by you, the Lord, or anyone else.” She smiled, “I don’t know how she got to me so fast.” 

“You talked to her, didn’t you?” Max answered. 

“She just couldn’t say anything right, she tried,” Kate assured, “but, like I said.” She sighed and closed her eyes, “I remember falling-” The air got knocked out of her like a popping balloon. Kate continued oblivious, “...but then she had me, caught my leg I guess.” She moved her head towards Max with a humorous smile, “She’s stronger than she looks, huh? Just like you.” 

Max nodded stiffly, “Yeah… yeah she is.” 

“I’m sorry if I fall asleep on you, Max, the medicine is making me sleepy.” 

Max gave an apologetic smile, “No, I’m sorry for barging in while you’re trying to sleep, Kate. I’ll get out of your hair.” 

“Take care of Alice for me? Until I get back?” Kate’s eyes were open and pleading. How could Max refuse? 

“Of course.” The door cracked open, Chloe was peaking in carefully. “I’ll be right back, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. She’ll be staying the night, okay?” 

Kate shook her head, “No, I don’t want to trouble anyone-” 

Max patted her leg, “You’re not, but I want the person I trust most to keep an eye on you, alright?” 

Kate nodded, “mmkay…” 

When she got out in the hall and the door was shut Chloe whisper yelled, “The hell was that ?” 

“She thinks Nathan drugged her,” Chloe froze, “after yesterday morning I wouldn’t put it past him to try to keep her quiet. Keep an eye on her for me, okay? Call me if you even think Nathan is on his way.” 

“How are you gonna get back to Blackwell, though?” Chloe asked. Down the hall Victoria turned the corner and froze like a deer in headlights. 

“Someone owes Kate and me a lot, and she’s about to pay up.” 

 


 

 

“You want to break into Blackwell? Seriously?” Victoria sputtered. 

Max closed the door to a red Cadillac ELR. The only reason Max knew what it was is because she actually googled it after hearing Victoria brag ging about owning it. And you know what? There was a reason to brag about owning it, it was comfy . “I want us to break into Blackwell,” Max corrected. 

“Why?” Victoria shook her head, “Listen, I’m happy to drive you back to school, but I don’t want to commit any other felonies that I can avoid.” She added under her breath a moment later, “Jesus, Kate’s gonna take me to court and I totally deserve it.” 

Max rolled her eyes and chuckled, “Kate? Not turning the other cheek? You really haven’t been paying attention, have you?” She charged ahead before Victoria could play the Max Caulfield classic self-deprecation, “We owe this to Kate. I wasn’t there enough for her, but I will be now, I promise you that. Kate believes she was drugged, and she can’t be the only one. I want to know what the school’s records might be hiding.” 

“Fine, Max. Go break into the principal’s office, but I’m not joining you-” 

“Come on, you-” 

“I owe Kate, not you,” Victoria snapped with finality. Max tried again, but every attempt was met with silence. Victoria started the car. 

“Oh, come on!” 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“Fine, Max. Go break into the principal’s office, but I’m not joining you-” 

“You owe me for all the shit you’ve put me through this year, you know that.” Max looked at Victoria hard. 

The blonde sighed, “Please, stop, I’ll give you anything legal I can but I have enough secrets to keep, alright?” 

“Any of them involving Nathan drugging people?” Max prodded. 

Victoria looked hurt, aghast, “What the fuck? No! Listen, if he’s drugged anyone I’ll kill him myself-” 

“Really? You? I don’t know how you would-” Max’s breath hitched. 

“Believe me, I could fuck him up. I’ve taken some judo lessons,” Victoria smirked confidently. 

“...you know that’s not enough.” Max narrowed her eyes, “We both do.” 

Victoria rolled her eyes and put the key in the ignition, “Whatever, Maxine. Once we get to Blackwell you can do whatever you-” 

Before she could turn the key, however, Max grabbed her hand. Victoria’s eyes widened at the sight and texture of not Max’s softer hands but the strong light blue arm of her stand. “Thought so,” Max said simply as she released her grip and recalled her stand. 

“How did you know?” Victoria asked after a minute of staring at Max like she had a second head. 

“Well, Kate mentioned she went over the edge. I figured she went to the top of the dorms, right?” Victoria nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been there before, got a few shots once. Nothing to call home about, was too scared to get close enough to the edge to get any shots I really wanted. Anyways,” she tapped her chin contemplatively, “I thought it weird that you’d lie about talking her down. She said you caught her. Must have a pretty fast stand to catch her and pretty strong to pull her up.” 

“...she was really light. I think she stopped eating for the most part.” Victoria started the car and rolled the window down before producing a pack of cigarettes from the door. “My… what did you call it?” 

“Stand.” 

“Why the hell did you call it that?” Victoria asked as she plucked a cigarette out and lit it. 

Max shrugged, “Chloe calls them that, ‘cuz it’s always standing by your side. Well, in most cases I guess?” 

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?” 

Max summoned her stand, or at least all she could of it. To her surprise it was both of her arms, and not just the lower halves. The full arms! “Oh my dog! I got more out!” 

“Huh?” 

Max waved her hands back and forth happily, “My stand hasn’t been able to come out more than just my right hand and only the elbow down! I can do so much more with two hands! Chloe’s gonna freak!” 

“R-right.” Victoria took a deep drag off her cigarette. “So,” she began with a puff of smoke, “what does yours do?” 

Max was about to answer, but a better idea came, “It’ll be easier to show you after you tell me yours.” 

“Really?” the blonde said skeptically. Max nodded. She was worried she’d have to rewind to convince Victoria or maybe tell her first, but eventually the blonde sighed and began to speak. “It-” 

“She.” 

Victoria rolled her eyes, “ She does ice. Can make anything cold fast, can make ice cubes out of like air moisture or something I think, and she can skate. That’s all I’ve been able to find out the few times I was brave enough to try to do anything with it.” 

“Skate?” Max asked. 

She nodded, “Yeah. She made the water on the roof freeze and just-” she shot her hand forward accented with a pew , “flew right to Kate. That was the first time I fully brought her out.” 

Max nodded, “Yeah, I’ve heard that stress brings it out fully. I’m not sure why mine is different.” 

“Pff,” Victoria scoffed, “how different could yours be?” 

Max used her stand’s new arm to snatch the cigarette from her lips before slipping the familiar strands of time around her fingers. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“So,” she began with a puff of smoke, “what does yours do?” 

“My stand can rewind time,” Max said cheekily. 

Victoria rolled her eyes and went for another drag, but stopped when she realized her cigarette was missing. “My stand can take things I’m holding back in time with me, but two things can’t exist in the same place at the same time so it disappears from where it was.” 

“Holy shit…” Victoria said in awe. Then her expression shifted to anger, “Is that how you get those awesome photos!? You cheater!” 

“What? No!” Max snarled, “How dare you! I work hard for my shots!” 

“How long have you had your fucking time shit?” 

“Since Monday!” 

“Which Monday, bitch?” 

This Monday , bitch!” 

Silence permeated between the two girls. Victoria plucked the cigarette out of Max’s grasp and flicked the ashes out the window, “Really? How did you get yours?” 

Max worked her jaw. “I… think it’s best if you didn’t know.” 

The blonde narrowed her eyes, “Oh come on, I’ll tell you how I got mine, alright?” 

“You first.” 

Victoria shrugged, “Well, alright, that’s only fair, you told me what your stand does first. It first appeared-” 

“First of all it isn’t an ‘it’, she’s you , but also not. So she’s a ‘she’.” She began rubbing her upper arm, “And you already told me what yours does.” 

“What the fuck!?” she shook her head, “Seriously, pulling that kinda manipulative shit with your powers? And I thought I was the manipulative one.” 

“I… never thought about it like that…” Max frowned. Her powers were still hurting people, even when it was as simple as this. “I’m sorry Victoria, I didn’t mean to-” 

“Jesus Christ, Max, you didn’t choose your powers, alright?” Victoria shook her head, “You just get to choose how you use them, you know? So, just tell me if you rewind from now on and why, alright?” she offered more calmly. 

Max nodded, “Y-yeah, I will. Sorry.” 

“Stop apologizing! God, it’s the worst part of you honestly.” 

The brunette tilted her head, “Really? I thought you’d say it was my hipster waif style and my shit selfies.” 

The blonde smacked her hand against the wheel, “ That’s exactly the shit that makes you so frustrating! You have so much and you always go and put yourself down!” 

“Gee I wonder why…” Max grumbled. 

“Fight back!” Victoria snarled as she jabbed a finger at Max, “Every little jab or cutting remark was done for a reason, dumbass! Your photos are awesome and you don’t defend them, you are the only one that can pull off that style, and you make hipsters seem appealing! You’re supposed to fight back!” 

“I hate fighting!” Max screamed, “Everytime I fight I lose something! I fight you then I have to fight ten more fights at lunch, I fight Warren and I lose a friend that helped me a lot, I fight Nathan and he’s gonna end up choking me in a parking lot, I fight my parents and I lose Chloe!” A sob wracked through her, doubling her over. 

After a minute or two of her crying a soothing hand rubbed circles on her back. A few minutes later and the cigarette was finished while Max sniffled. “...what did you mean about Nathan?” 

“What?” 

“You mentioned him during your-” she gestured vaguely, “-thing. What did you mean by that?” 

Max studied the treeline. The sun had set by now, and the moon was casting a glow from behind the hospital. The brunette sighed, “I got my powers when I went to the bathroom this Monday.” 

“Oh yeah,” Victoria smirked humorously, “you looked like shit.” 

“Chloe died in that bathroom.” Victoria tensed. The whole atmosphere tensed. “She uh, confronted Nathan about selling drugs. Wanted to blackmail him. He had a gun.” 

Victoria remained silent and looked at Max expectantly. She decided to continue, “I thought she was shot at first. The gun was pointed at her stomach. But Nathan used his stand to punch her.” 

“And?” 

“And she died from it.” Max refused to tell Victoria about the gore. Talking about it would bring it back to this reality. She preferred to leave it in the past. “I rewound time on instinct. I first learned how to really control it during class when my camera broke after I accidentally knocked it off my desk.” 

“Not even superpowers can save you from your clumsiness, huh?” Victoria snickered. 

Max smiled weakly, “Nope. Can save me from a lot of things though, like the embarrassment of others seeing me be clumsy.” 

“Anyways, back to the topic at hand: Nathan choked you?” 

Max nodded, “Yeah, I’m not sure how he knew I was in the bathroom when I saved Chloe but he did-” 

“How’d you save Chloe?” 

“Fire alarm,” she answered. 

The blonde began cackling, “Really!? That was you ?” 

Max rolled her eyes, “Yeah, I started breaking rules and laws pretty much immediately after I got powers, sue me. Besides, it said ‘break in case of emergency,’ and it was an emergency.” She began pulling on a stray thread at her hoodie’s cuff, “Anyways, Nathan confronted me while I was talking to Warren. His stand started choking me when Chloe saved me.” 

“Damn, so that’s where he got those gross claw marks on his face?” Victoria hummed, “Thought Chloe would be more of a punching and biting type, not a claw ing one.” 

“She used her stand to punch him away and we escaped in her truck,” Max corrected, “ I clawed his face because my stand can’t fight.” 

Victoria was quiet for a while. Max didn’t dare break the silence. The blonde opted to let the car break the silence, instead. She turned the key and the engine roared to life. “I’ll be able to fact check Nathan’s school records for you.” 

“What?” 

When Max looked at Victoria this time she finally saw the Queen Bee’s stand in full. The stand was humanoid and it was fully made of light blue ice, save for the glowing red embers of the eyes. The stand was dressed in a winter gala style dress. If Max looked lower she could see the dress end at the knees and showed off thin legs armoured in heeled boots. The short hair was white and had a middle part that all hung back. The lower half of the face was covered by an icy face plate. 

“We’re gonna nail the fucker to the goddamn wall and see how he likes it.” 

 


 

 

Chloe shifted awkwardly in the uncomfortable seat. It was difficult enough to sneak in after Max had asked her to watch over Kate, but it was even harder to hide from the nurses that would come to the room from time to time. 

‘I just hope they’re done for a while, I need to sleep and I can’t do that hanging on the window ledge.’ Chloe sighed as she got into a comfortable enough spot and shut her eyes, ‘Whatever, if they come in to kick me out I’ll just say I came in as a friend. Would estranged sister work?’  

“Who are-” 

Chloe jolted awake, “I’m supposed to be here!” she blurted. 

“I don’t know you…” Kate was awake. 

Chloe rubbed her head and tried to skew her lopsided beanie back into proper position, “Oh, yeah, friend of Max’s.” She smiled and offered her hand out, “I’m Chloe Price.” 

Kate lit up, “Oh! You’re Chloe!” 

The punk smirked, “I see my reputation precedes me!” She took back her hand and sat back down. “Only good things I hope.” 

Kate giggled, “Of course! Max isn’t the type to speak ill of others.” 

“Agreed.” 

“So… why are you here?” Kate asked. 

“Oh, Max asked me to keep an eye on you.” 

Kate looked hurt, “She doesn’t trust me by myself anymore?” She asked. 

Chloe shook her head, “No! No, no, no, I’m not here to police you or anything like that, just to make sure nobody hurts you.” 

“Who would want to hurt me?” Kate asked with a watery crack to her voice. 

“Someone desperate for cash, obviously!” 

Chloe snapped to the window. It was a woman, an older woman. She looked dingy and unclean and wore several tattered layers. Her hair was unkempt and crazy. Chloe shot out of her seat, “Fuck off, whoever you are, this is a private room.” 

“I know,” the lady smirked as she slid in, “that’s the point. I was hired to be here.” 

“By who?” Chloe demanded as she got into a fighter’s stance. 

The old woman cackled, “You already know, girlie. Not like it’ll help you, though.” 

Chapter 8: Wonderwall

Summary:

Thunderstruck vs. Wonderwall

Notes:

CW: There is violence, dismemberment, physical maiming, and burning in this chapter. This is a combat chapter. In the end notes there will be a summary of the events of this chapter.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Chloe is out of her seat in a flash with Thunderstruck tensed up in a boxer’s stance hovering above Kate. The old woman cackles. Well, maybe old is a stretch, though she’s certainly older than Chloe. At least double Chloe’s age, and perhaps even more the woman was ragged and dirty. Her face was gaunt and withered, so Chloe had to ask herself how the hell the woman was able to climb up to the fourth floor of the hospital. 

“You Caulfield?” She asked. She grumbled immediately, “Hrm, no, she’s the mousy one. You’re the punk, Price.” She looked Thunderstruck up and down and smirked, “Not a bad stand you’ve got. I wonder if you could beat our mutual friend…” 

“I plan to,” Chloe threatened with a step forward. “What’s your price to fuck off?” 

The crone smiled maliciously, “Oh? Scared you’ll lose? Doubting yourself already?” 

“Just tired and not looking to draw a fight out,” Chloe popped her neck, “...if we fight I’m going to try to kill you.” 

“What!?” Kate whimpered. “C-Chloe, what’s happening? Who is she-” 

“Just stay down, Kate, this’ll be over in a sec’.” Chloe burst forward. As soon as a sliver of the old woman’s stand appeared Chloe ducked down. Thunderstruck charged forward with a punch, but it only met the windowsill, splattering wooden chips. Chloe slid into the wall and glanced towards the door. 

The old woman was clapping as she was sitting on the very chair Chloe was at earlier. “Very fast! This is fun!” 

Chloe stood slowly. She wasn’t going to pull the same shit she did with Frank. She hated playing it slow and safe, but she’d do it for now. “Do this often?” 

The woman shook her head, “Nope!” she popped the ‘p’. 

“What’s your name?” 

The woman’s smile softened a little, “Clarise. Named after me mum’s gamgam.” 

Chloe gave a small smile, “Did you ever meet her?” 

Clarise shook her head, “Nah, but me mum told me about her. Great GamGam and me mum were alike, and I guess so am I.” 

Chloe rocked her head to the side, “Really? How so?” 

Pain shot up her foot. She slid back, the back of her thighs knocking over the windowsill forcing her to sit. She glanced down at her foot and felt her heart sink. There was blood, a lot of it already. But worse there was a straight line from the outer edge of her boot through the base of her toes to the middle of the boot. 

“We’re all sneaky bitches!” Clarise cackled. 

The pain surged in time with her heartbeat, waves of fiery pain rushing through her foot making it impossible to touch down. “Fuck!” She held her ankle tightly from the pain and tightened her grip when a voice in the back of her head reminded her there was circulation bleeding her dry. 

“Your stand does electricity, right? Figured I’d give you an advantage.” She nodded, “Go ahead, spread the blood around. Use the electricity you’ve got to get me.” She stood and took a step towards Kate, “You’ll need everything you can get to be able to beat my Wonderwall .” 

Chloe charged a kick with her injured left foot and flung blood towards the woman. It was charged with electricity, and if it hit Clarise it would immobilize her long enough for Chloe to finish her off. 

But when she flung the blood a new slice opened a straight line in her calf and Clarise jumped back letting the blood land on the wall. “Woof, that was close. Wanna try again?” 

‘Shit! Fuck, this hurts!’ Chloe groaned suppressing a scream. ‘Alright, gotta think of something! Fuck, this’d be way easier if Max was here.’  

Clarise was waiting patiently. ‘She’s already won, that’s what she’s thinking.’ Chloe scowled, ‘I need to stop fighting her like I fight people. She was probably briefed on me if this was Sean Prescott tying up loose ends.’  

Chloe took a deep breath. ‘Calm down, do it like Max. She had to witness everything, analyze threats and figure out what was gonna be most reasonable to happen.’  

The crone frowned. 

‘I flung blood at her… and that’s when I got hit again…’ her eyes widened, ‘but she had to dodge! Whatever she can do-’  

“You can only do it once at a time.” Clarise’s eyes bugged out. ‘Bingo.’ “Every stand has its weakness, there’s no unbeatable stand.” Chloe stood shakily before leaning her weight on her uninjured foot. “You’re just another greedy bitch who is hitting above her weight.” 

“Ballsy punk,” Clarise muttered. 

“Yeah well… while you stay in this room you’ll constantly be in my range.” Chloe limped forward, “Thunderstruck is gonna fuck you up unless you walk out that door,” she nodded towards the door. 

“I wouldn’t get paid, then,” Clarise argued, “so I think I’ll just go ahead and kill both of you!” 

Chloe dove to the right , away from the burst of air she felt graze and split her cheek. On the ground Thunderstruck flung a kick to knock Clarise over. Her shin hit a solid, flat wall about half a foot wide that stretched upwards. She couldn’t tell how large it was, as it was completely invisible. 

‘So it can only be so wide, but she can deactivate them fast enough to block attacks.’ Chloe got to her feet as fast as she could, ‘I’ll just have to overwhelm her!’ She charged forward and sent Thunderstruck out with a flurry of punches. The wall kept blocking her blows, however. Every fist she flew crashed into the wall. ‘Dammit! How the hell!?’  

She continued attacking, ‘Can’t attack while you’re defending yourself. You only have to fuck up one time-’  

Her fist connected with Clarise’s jaw hard. Before she could cheer she stumbled to a knee as pain pushed through her thigh in waves. 

“I only needed a second to let my wall down to get it in your leg, ya know?” The hag cackled. “Then I brought my wall back up right before you hit me! You’re pretty fast you know! Almost had me! Ha!” 

Chloe growled, “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you, you hear me?” 

Clarise tsked, “As long as I can see you, I’m never gonna die.” 

Thunderstruck went for a straight punch towards Clarise’s face. Predictably, she hit a wall again. “Really? I just fuckin’ said-” 

Kate didn’t know what was happening. She believed there was more to the world, of course, that was part of being a daughter of God. She had never considered believing ghosts were real, nor other cryptid supernatural creatures. She believed in the Devil, demons, angels, and Jesus was the Son of God. 

But then her life became so hard, and she wasn’t sure that angels were around anymore. There was Max, God bless her, but not anyone else. Chloe Price was a surprising figure to be a friend of Max’s, but if she was a friend there was a reason. 

‘Max is an angel, alongside Chloe,’ Kate reasoned. ‘Chloe is fighting a demon right now with her wings that I can’t see…’  

Her eyes widened as an electric blue glow shocked through Chloe’s arm. It was miraculous and beautiful. Her veins glowed as if they were the elements of a neon sign that flowed along the channels of holy blood like a bullet train. A burst of blue electricity appeared in the air unconnected to Chloe, reaching towards the old woman. 

Kate felt the charge in the air as it lifted her hair. She was thankful that she felt nothing else of it. It seemed painful. The old woman took the brunt of the damage on her shoulders where the nylon jacket had smoldering burns from where the electricity had touched. 

 

Clarise screeched, “You blue bitch! You fucking fuck!” 

Chloe scoffed, “Can’t handle the heat? Get outta the kitchen, bitch.” 

“I’ll kill you! I’ll skin you alive! I’ll-” Clarise roared and marched towards Chloe. 

“Gah!” Chloe cried out as a blade of invisible force pierced her shoulder. It wasn’t moving, so if she didn’t want to open the wound further she’d have to remain still. ‘I can still move Thunderstruck, Clarise!’  

Thunderstruck flew forwards throwing out fists. A few connected, giving Chloe an echo of a satisfying crack through her hands. Clarise landed back out of Chloe’s range, crashing through the visitor chairs. 

Chloe still couldn’t move, however. The barrier hadn’t disappeared. ‘Shit… shit, shit, shit!’ 

Clarise stood up and dusted herself off. She spat a white object from her mouth and smiled sinisterly at the punk. She now had gaps in the smile. “Well, I don’t see any reason why I need to deal with you right this second. If anyone was gonna help ya they’d be here by now.” 

It was late, Chloe knew that the hospital was probably understaffed. It was great for sneaking in and being able to keep her eye on them in case they were enemies, but now it was a pain. She never counted on someone saving her and Kate, but she also never considered she’d need someone to save them. 

“Guess I’ll start with goldilocks, here,” Clarise smirked as she tossed a thumb over her shoulder, “They ain’t paying me to keep her kicking! Ha!” 

Chloe grit her teeth. ‘This is gonna hurt…’ The pain flared as she lifted her arm out of the way and began to pull her body away from the beam. Before she could make much progress, it disappeared. 

She collapsed to the ground and gasped in pain. The very air burned her wound and chilled her sweat and blood. When she looked up her jaw dropped. 

Kate had thrown herself onto Clarise’s back and was squeezing her throat tightly. Chloe pulled herself to her feet as best as she could. The missing toes and pain certainly weren’t helping. 

From this close to the ground, she finally spotted the tell: dust or liquids would be disturbed prior to the barrier shooting out. It narrowly missed Kate’s head, but it managed to knick a few hairs on the way. The tremors adjusted. “Kate!” 

Thunderstruck backhanded Kate in the face. “FUCK!” Chloe held the pinkie stump to her now mostly red tank top. Her pinkie was on the ground, but before she could pocket it to reattach it later (if she could) it was split to pieces. 

“I’m so sick of you!” Clarise choked out. 

Kate roared with effort as she squeezed harder. The two stumbled around the room as Chloe tried to cope with the pain. They were getting closer to the window… ‘I’m gonna need some drugs for this.’  

Chloe rushed over to the table next to Kate’s IV bag. Her luck finally started turning around with the syringe of novacaine. She took the syringe and jabbed the needle into the area around her pinkie stump and depressed the plunger. She grit her teeth and blinked the tears away. 

With a numbed hand she rushed towards the old woman. “Kate, move!” 

Kate dropped. Clarise gagged and coughed. She opened her bloodshot eyes for a moment before Chloe slammed an electrically charged fist into her face. 

Clarise howled in pain. For the one moment of contact the woman’s face lit up in a glow, but the eye sockets in particular. She screeched and clawed at the eyelids that had fused shut. 

“Told you to leave, but you didn’t. I don’t care where you go or what happens to you, but you can’t-” she pulled Clarise to her feet, “-stay-” Thunderstruck tightened her core and charged a punch, “-here!” 

With as many punches as she could manage with her dwindling strength she hit Clarise again and again. The drugs were good, they were keeping her injured hand in the end of the fight. Thunderstruck flung a kick into Clarise’s chest sending her flying through the window. 

Chloe’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” She limped towards the window. “No, no, no…” She peered over the edge. She felt towards the trashcan and felt her body react to the sickness. 

Clarise was dead. 

 


 

 

Chloe’s eyes snapped open. She shot up with heavy breaths. ‘These aren’t my clothes…’ She winced as the pain started to throb through her. Everything hurt, but especially her hands, and in particular her left hand. “Fuck…” 

Her heart sank at the sight of her heavily bandaged arm. It was stiff, and the bandages themselves weren’t fresh anymore. Especially around her hand where only four fingers remained. ‘I guess I’m lucky I still have my mostly whole hand.’  

The rest of her arm was mostly a dull pain, and Chloe knew what it was from. Just because she could control electricity unfortunately didn’t mean she was immune to heat generated from electricity. She only hoped her arm looked cool with rockin’ lightning scars. At least Kate wasn’t hurt. 

‘Oh shit! I’m supposed to be watching her! I need to call Max, too!’  

A quick survey of the room settled her heart. Kate was lying in the bed next to hers asleep, painted in the golden morning light pouring through the window. Chloe sighed in relief and pulled the sheet off. 

She didn’t know how to feel about losing four parts of herself in one night. Should she be freaking out? Should she be crying, saddened that she may not be able to move like she used to? She figured that she should, but she was mostly neutral. Any time she tried to be upset about the loss she found that it was quickly rationalized away by the thought of the girl in the other bed resting easy, her adorable soft snore being an anchor. 

Chloe took a deep breath and laid back down. On her left was her phone, but she didn’t want to reach for it with the hand that was covered in burns. So she laid there for a while, ‘Max can deal with a late update.’  

“Chloe?” The punk tilted her head to the side. Kate blearily opened her eyes and peered at Chloe with perfect hazel orbs. 

“Hey, ‘sup?” Chloe tried to smile comfortingly, “Feelin’ better?” 

Kate nodded, then shook her head. “I’m… confused.” 

Chloe nodded her head, “Yeah, I bet.” 

Kate pushed herself up into a seating position, “Well, I guess you’re more confused, huh?” 

Chloe shrugged and winced at the pain in her shoulder where the bandages and what felt like stitches pulled at the motions. “I mean, not really. I know I…” she couldn’t get the word out, so instead she went around it, “...I uh, the woman, she… she’s gone. After that, nothing. I can figure it out, though, no need to explain anything.” 

Kate nodded. She rubbed a bandaged spot on her arm, “I always thought it’d be easier to pull out.” 

“Hm?” 

“This,” Kate tapped the IV on her other arm. “I was trying to pull it out so I could help you more, but I couldn’t get it out and I could only go so far from the bag-” 

Chloe shook her head and waved dismissively, “You did fine, Kate. I’m actually glad you stayed uninvolved for the most part, it kept her focus on me.” 

Kate nodded and a comfortable silence fell on them both. Chloe closed her eyes, feeling tired even still. She felt sleep clawing at the edges of her consciousness when Kate spoke again. “What is God like?” 

Chloe felt her face contort in confusion. She looked at Kate again and was taken aback by the conviction and fear within the blonde’s eyes. Chloe shrugged again, forgetting her injury, “How should I know?” 

“You’re… you’re an angel, right?” Kate asked slowly. Then her eyes widened, “No… a demon?” 

Chloe rolled her eyes then, “I’m not an angel or a demon, Kate, just…” she sighed in exasperation. “Listen, I don’t actually know what I am. I don’t know how many people even are like me. All I know is that I am not normal.” 

Kate deflated. “...do you think I’m a bad person, Chloe?” 

Chloe snorted, “You? Bad? Nah, I don’t think that’s possible.” 

“But you don’t even know-” 

“Have you ever drugged someone?” Kate became quiet. She shook her head slowly. “Didn’t think so. I have,” Chloe admitted. “Got me kicked out of Blackwell. Honestly, I don’t regret it. I’ve done a lot of bad things, pushed a lot of good people away. I’ve been a burden to a lot of people.” Chloe chuckled bitterly, “Honestly, it’s funny that you asked if I was an angel. Pretty sure you’re the angel based on how everyone seemed to be acting at Blackwell, the little I saw there anyways.” 

Kate was quiet for a bit. She fiddled with her fingers, picking at her fingernails. “...I was drugged.” 

Chloe nodded, “I know.” 

Kate frowned, but pushed ahead, “Nathan-” 

Chloe nodded, “I know , you weren’t the first.” Kate doubled over and sniffled. “You’ll be the last, Max and I are gonna be sure of that.” 

She finally bit the bullet and grabbed her phone, quickly switching it to her other hand. It was dead for a moment, but a quick zap fixed that. She had several texts from Max, but the most recent was from this morning.

 

Mad Max: We found good info last night. How is Kate? 

 

‘Too much to talk about over text?’ Chloe frowned. She shook her head, ‘Doesn’t matter.’  

 

YOU: Kates good. Got attacked. Am in 1 piece. mstly.

 

A few moments after the text said (read) the phone vibrated and began playing Hells Bells . “Oh god dammit.” 

“What’s wrong?” Kate asked quietly. 

Chloe answered. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘MOSTLY’?!” 

Notes:

Chloe fights Clarisse, an old woman who wields the powerful stand Wonderwall. She uses her stand to create small forcefields that cut Chloe's foot and hand, severing some toes and a pinky. Chloe succeeds in defeating her by blinding her and defenestrating her. Clarisse falls to her death and Chloe is admitted to the hospital. In the morning she texts Max and Max freaks out.

Next Chapter: Max and Victoria break into Blackwell and grow closer.

Chapter 9: girls Night

Summary:

Storm clouds roil on the horizon, but just for tonight the weather is nice.

Notes:

This is the gayest chapter of anything I've ever written. Please enjoy copious Maximum Victory.

Thank you to my friends who beta read this chapter and helped me refine the quality to the greatest possible.

Halfway through the story now! Everything has been planned and outlined to the end and I am so excited for everyone to see this story unfold!

If you enjoyed, please consider leaving a comment! Until next Friday! Be safe and drink plenty of water!

Chapter Text

They pulled back into the parking lot. The drive was silent, not even the radio was turned on. And Max was fine with it. The light from her phone screen highlighted the pages in her journal as she wrote. ‘If anyone finds this at least they’ll only think I’m crazy rather than think I have time travel powers.’  

She regretted her decision to write on the Arcadia Bay roads with all of the squiggled out letters and messy corrections. She’d have to fix it later. She snapped the book shut and returned it to her bag. 

“Knowing Wells he’ll be off drinking to forget today,” Victoria explained, “Madsen might be active, but Court said he went home. I believe her, too.” 

“So there’s nobody to catch us?” 

Victoria frowned, “Well, there’s the night guard, but nothing happens at night really so he’s probably not really all that alert.” 

“‘Probably’,” Max scoffed. 

Victoria chuckled, “Yeah, but what do we have to worry about with you around?” 

“I can only go so far back,” Max said with a shake of her head. “If I try to go further back it feels like I’m starting to unravel my brain matter.” 

“Jesus…” Victoria grimaced. “Well, we just won’t get caught then.” 

The girls stepped out of the car and made their way to the courtyard. It was a cooler night. The moon was high, almost full. It cast a blue veil over the world, like a filter over a dark shot.

Max glanced down at how the light illuminated her skin. It made her appear even paler, like a long forgotten Victorian ghost haunting the grounds. 

Victoria, on the other hand, looked beautiful. The glow highlighted  her features making her seem like she had been hand carved from stone and yet soft and ethereal like a Michelangelo marble statue. Max felt more self conscious than ever standing beside the Queen Bee of Blackwell. 

“Shit!” Victoria hissed. Her stand shot out and pulled Max into the blonde’s chest as she yanked both of them out of sight behind a tree. The stand’s grip was cold, but it quickly shifted into warmth as the stand melded into Victoria’s form. 

Whatever was happening, whatever Victoria was hiding them from, it wasn’t a concern to Max in that moment though. In fact, everything slipped away save for the feeling of Victoria's rhythmic breaths moving against Max. Like a warm boat upon the smooth waves of the ocean. It was soft. Max had never really rested against someone’s chest like this before. She never really understood why people did it in the first place. Lots of people’s chests were bony, so there didn’t seem to be a reason for it. 

Max’s stomach, however, was doing flips. The beat of Victoria’s heart was the most intoxicating thing in the world, better than any music she had heard. She closed her eyes. She let the sound, the physical feeling of something so steady, fill her being. It was calming, and it was terrifying. ‘What is this?’  

“Alright, he’s gone,” Victoria’s voice vibrated into Max’s body as she spoke. The feeling was better than any of the big massage chairs at the mall back in Seattle.

“Hm,” Max hummed. 

“Max? We gonna move?” 

Max’s eyes shot open and a deep ice cold fear ripped through her core. ‘This is weird. This is so weird, I’m so weird.’ She roughly pushed Victoria away, “S-sorry, I’m… tired.” 

Victoria stood still, a surprised look painted her face. She shook her head after a moment, “D-don’t worry about it, alright? No harm no foul, yeah?” Max nodded. “Yeah, so we’ll go in, get the evidence, then get out and you can finally get some rest.” 

Max nodded. ‘It was just a weird moment, you’re tired. That’s all.’ The two made their way to the entrance, “So who was it? Was it the security guard?” 

Victoria shook her head, “No, it was Mark.” 

“Mr. Jefferson?” Max frowned, “Why is he here so late?” 

Victoria shrugged, “I dunno, he gives a shit about teaching? Who cares, we don’t have all the time in the world here.” Max raised a single eyebrow at her. “Okay, you have all the time in the world, but I still want to sleep in my bed before classes tomorrow.” Victoria amended.

Max nodded, she found herself agreeing with her, “Yeah, I feel like I haven’t been in a bed in days.” She tried the front door, and by some miracle it was unlocked. 

As the two entered the building the air seemed to change. It was like they had stepped into a different dimension, or a mirror dimension. Like a dark and twisted version of their school. It intrigued Max. The colours felt muted and darker. The halls stretched further than they should, the air was chilled with the still running AC that hadn’t been changed over yet. Any shadows cast during the day were now the void hiding any possible monsters from peace of mind. 

Victoria turned her phone’s flashlight on and shivered as she scanned the area, “Jesus, I feel like Freddy or Jason are gonna jump out from around the corner.” 

Max tilted her head, “Who?” 

Victoria narrowed her eyes, “Didn’t you, like, watch a ton of shit with Warren? I thought he’d teach you about the kings of slasher films.” 

Max shrugged, “I dunno, I didn’t hang out with him very often like that. I never got a chance to watch anything off his flash drive collection.” 

Victoria rolled her eyes, “Whatever, let's just get to Well’s office.” 

“Actually, why don’t we go check Nathan’s locker first?” Max asked. 

Victoria shrugged, “Eh, might as well. Follow me.” 

Victoria led the way down the hall and Max’s mind wandered along with her eyes. ‘I want to take some pictures, we never get to see the school like this. It’s kind of peaceful in a way, I don’t know what Victoria’s problem with it is.’  

Victoria’s walk was confident and strong. Each step caught the light on her pantyhose. It was hypnotizing. Victoria said something. Max shook her head and forced her eyes up to meet Victoria’s, “Sorry, what?” 

Victoria’s brow pinched in worry, “Hey, you alright? You’re spacing more than usual.” 

Max nodded, “Y-yeah. Just tired.” ‘Stop staring, you’re being a creep. Why even are you staring?’  

“You know, you never told me what happened earlier today with the whole Carrie look.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose and muttered, “Dammit, you won’t get that,” she spoke up, “The blood, what’s the deal?” 

She looked down at her ruined shirt and grimaced. “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. So, Chloe owes some money to a drug dealer named Frank. He came to collect it and… well I had to rewind a lot. That’s how I found out that if I rewind too much in a short period of time my brain might actually start unravelling and I pass out to protect myself I guess? Anyways, it all ended up alright in the end and Chloe fought him off.” 

“Frank has a stand too?” Victoria hummed thoughtfully. “Don’t strain yourself, alright? I don’t think I could carry you out of here. And don’t forget, you promised to tell me anytime you rewind and why, got it?” 

“Oh, well, they both kept getting really badly hurt or dying and I didn’t want either of them to-” 

“I meant from here on out! I don’t need to know that Chloe keeps dying, alright!” Victoria sighed, “Jesus, Max, I don’t want to hear about any death after what all has happened today.” 

Max rubbed her upper arm, “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” 

Victoria shook her head, “No, I’m sorry. I sorta asked you to bring it up in the first place.” Before Max could argue Victoria stopped in front of a red locker, “We’re here. It’s the top one.” 

The locker blended in with the rest of them. It had a simple combination padlock and if Max had been alone or with Chloe she wouldn’t have even recognized it. “Do you know the code?” 

Victoria shook her head, “No, I respected his secrets and he respected mine. I never thought I’d need to get into his locker and if I did I figured he’d send me the code if I asked.” 

Max rolled her shoulder, “Luckily we don’t need a code, stand back.” Victoria took a few steps back. Max pulled her arm up and materialized her stand. The strings of time coiled around her fingers. She pulled back only slightly, she didn’t want to cut her hand again. She released the strings and her fist shot out like a bullet. 

The locker door tore off its hinges as it bent in half. Max crumpled immediately as pain flashed through her hand. She groaned as she coddled the hand. 

“Max! Are you okay!? Please don’t tell me you broke your hand!” 

“I think I did…” Max wheezed. 

Victoria gently pried Max’s hand open, “Here, let me take a look.” Max let Victoria’s slender hands slide over her hand and wrist. It was unnatural how good it felt. Why did it feel so right and wrong at the same time? Like the warring waves of yin and yang had collided in a tumultuous hurricane of feelings warring within Max Caulfield’s being. The sting of her hand lessened a bit at the feeling. At least it was, until Victoria began applying light pressure to her knuckles. 

Max hissed. Victoria pulled her prodding fingers away like they’d been singed on a hot stove, “Okay, your hand isn’t broken, thankfully, but we need to get it wrapped tight to prevent swelling and protect it from more damage.” Victoria glanced up and down the hall, “Alright, no cameras, nothing recording… Close your eyes and keep them shut, Caulfield.” 

Max obeyed. She heard the ruffling of fabric before she felt warm smooth cloth slide over her hand. Warm pressure wrapped firmly by experienced hands bound her injury. When it was done her hand was left with a dull throb, but it was comfortable and mobile, so better than what it was. “Alright, Max, you can open your eyes.” 

Max did. She recoiled at the realization that the black fabric wrapped around her hand was previously part of the fabric covering Victoria’s legs only a minute earlier. 

Victoria rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, I’m a very clean person, there’s nothing wrong with it as a compression bandage! I have actual ones in my room, we can visit there after, alright?” 

Max swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth and tried to force her brain not to think about how soft and toned Victoria’s legs looked. ‘More important things to do, Max.’  

“Alright,” she stood up and approached the locker, “let’s do this quick so we can get an actual bandage on then.” 

“Next time ask me if you need to break in somewhere, okay? I’m sure my stand thingy can do it better than punching a metal door,” Victoria scoffed. 

Max rolled her eyes. She opened the door and frowned. The locker was normal. It had some textbooks and notebooks for classes, a cup of number two pencils, and a couple of photos taped to the walls and door of the locker. The photos were selfies that all included Nathan and Victoria at the center. They were in Victoria’s style, too. “There’s nothing here.” 

Victoria nodded quietly before plucking one of the photos off the wall. She stared at it with a deep sadness, her eyes the depths of a fathomless green lake. Max found herself caught in the currents, pulled down into the depths of melancholy and broken bonds. It was like a pirate pulled ashore while the other drowned in the bay.  “He really is my friend. I… I want to believe he isn’t too far gone. I want to believe that this-” she pointed at a picture of a younger Nathan, “-is still in there. But I can’t know, not yet.” 

Max nodded, “We’ll find out.” She didn’t know why, but she felt compelled to gently cup Victoria’s hand, “Together.” 

Victoria stared at Max with an unreadable expression. She parted her lips for a moment then wetted them. 

That weird feeling flooded Max again. She pulled herself away from the blonde and tore her eyes back down the hall before she held her hand up and pulled on the strings of time again. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“Max why the fuck are my tights gone?” Victoria turned from the locker before her eyes bugged out, “What happened to your hand!?” 

“There’s nothing in the locker, let’s head to the office,” Max said as she began walking towards the office. Along the way she filled in Victoria on what happened. 

“Where did you learn that you could spring power a punch?” Victoria asked with a raised brow. 

“There was a creepy stand in my room this morning. Figured out I could do it when I needed to fight,” Max answered. 

“Wait… is that why Warren was in a bush with the fucked up teeth!?” Victoria said gleefully. 

Max finally looked at her, “You saw that!?” 

Victoria nodded as she cackled, “Yeah! Oh my god, finally! That’d better get him to stop watching you in the morning. Though, knowing him, he might get off on that kinda thing.” 

Max rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Dog, you sound like Chloe.” 

Victoria looked offended, “Please, I have more class than her -” 

“Here we are.” 

The front office was next to the main entrance of Blackwell’s main building. It was a modest area with one decently sized desk and an older computer set up. There were cabinets lined up against all the walls, one set of lower cabinets were holding a coffee maker and disposable styrofoam cups. The floor was carpeted rather than the cold tiles of the halls. All in all, it was a very different environment compared to the rest of the school. A less inhospitable location, one that calmed Max.

The wooden door was tall and heavy looking. Next to the door mounted on the wall was a panel. “What’s that?” Max asked as she reached up to touch it. 

Victoria caught her forearm, “Don’t!” she snapped. “That’s the security system, Max! Tamper with that and the cops are gonna come. Same thing will happen if the door is brute forced open.” She knelt down and held a hand out to Max, “Do you have a few bobby pins?” 

Max shook her head, “No, I don’t need them for my style.” 

“You don’t carry them for other people?” Victoria asked. 

Once again Max shook her head, “No, do you?” 

Victoria nodded, “In my purse, but that’s all the way in the parking lot. Get me some paper clips.” 

Max began rooting through the secretary’s desk for a few paperclips. She found three, one a plain regular metal one and two with a colourful rubber coating. “Will these work?” 

Victoria nodded, “Yeah, I’ll just need to modify these…” 

Victoria started bending the paper clips into small tools, manipulating all three with precision and ease. Max felt uncomfortable suddenly, remembering how she kept finding she was missing cookies from her secret stash in her closet. 

She forgot about any possibilities that her room was broken into as Victoria bared her teeth and bit into the straightened colourful paperclip. She pulled the rubber or plastic off the piece. Her teeth were perfect, like smooth pearls of marble perfectly sculpted for the purpose of sinking into flesh. 

‘Oh…’ Max shifted in place. She tore her eyes away from the scene before her and found the moulding of the wall to be incredibly interesting. 

“Annnnddd there! I got it un-” 

The alarm started blaring from the panel on the wall. Max whipped her head over, “What did you do!?” 

“Well obviously I set off the alarm… I don’t know!” Victoria pulled on her hair, “Maybe there’s an anti-tampering thing in the lock or something? I don’t fucking know!” 

“Okay! Okay, we have to get in!” Max grabbed the handle and twisted. It jiggled uselessly. She slowly turned towards Victoria, “I thought you unlocked it!?” 

“It’s a lot harder than it fucking looks, Max!” 

Max looked around. Nothing looked like it could break the door open. She took a steadying breath, “Okay, stand back.” 

Victoria knocked Max out of the way, “We need you to not be shattered, Max, I’ll handle the door like I told you I would.” She took some breaths and summoned her stand. “Alright, break the door down!” The stand remained motionless. “What the fuck! Move!” 

Max laid a gentle hand on Victoria’s shoulder, “Victoria, it’s okay. I’m going to rewind and-” 

“And we’ll be back at square one! I’m not leaving empty handed Max, we’re getting fucking justice!” Victoria got into a low pose, pushing her wrists together with her stand copying her. “ Cold As Ice , Kaaameeehaaameee-” 

She thrusted her hands out, “-HAAA!” CAI thrusted forward. While Victoria’s hands produced nothing, her stand’s hands produced a white blast of frost that slammed into the door’s lock and handle. One moment the metal was there, the next it was gone. 

Max wasted no time in rushing forward charging through the door. Once she was through she raised her hand and grasped the strands of time. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“Annnnddd-” 

The door unlocked and opened. Max was on the other side. “How-” 

“You tripped the alarm, you said some magic words and blew the door open, then I went in and rewound time,” Max explained. 

“Do... you know the magic words I said?” Max recited them and watched in amazement as for the first time in Max’s life she saw Victoria Chase’s utter unshakeable confidence give way to embarrassment. She walked past a giggling Max as stoically as possible, “L-let’s just get what we came for, ‘kay?” 

The office of Principal Raymond Wells was a far cry from what Max had expected, even in the unlit room. Fine rich woods and warm colours made the space welcoming in the night. 

“I’ve never been here before,” Max commented distractedly, “I didn’t know it was so cool.” 

Victoria scoffed and rolled her eyes, “It’s tacky and would be on the nose if it were in a book about how terribly Wells is mismanaging Blackwell.” She took a seat in the large leather desk chair and paused. Her eyebrows rose before she adjusted her position. 

“Okay… he does know his stuff about chairs,” she hummed comfortably. She turned on the lamp on the desk and moved the computer mouse around. She chuckled, “Of course he didn’t lock his computer. I’m going to look around on here for stuff about Nathan.” 

Max nodded, “Got it, I’m going to look for his student records.” 

Easier said than done. Max spent several minutes flipping through cabinets and shelves to only find boring files of teachers and other students. Finally, she found the files she was looking for. 

The first was her own. Not much to talk about there, she was the quiet nervous kid who could be doing better. 

The second was Victoria’s. The record was spotless, and she thought to tell Victoria but she wasn’t sure how well the blonde would take to her reading it. The added note of Victoria representing ‘the very best of Blackwell Academy by stopping fellow student Kate Marsh from jumping off the dormitory roof…’ was the one thing Max felt truly belonged. 

“Hey Victoria?” 

“Yeah, Max?” 

Max nervously rubbed the corner of the page, “What do you think is on your file?” 

Victoria shrugged, “Eh, it’s probably pretty spotless, I’m very careful around teachers.” 

Max hummed. Maybe Nathan would be similar? “Is Nathan’s going to be like yours?” 

Victoria paused. “It’s… not as clean. He’s had his moments of talking back to teachers, you know? He’s Nathan Prescott,” she finished like that explained it all. 

And Max had to admit that she understood. “Gotcha.” 

She flipped through the files until she found it: Nathan Prescott. She wanted to vomit at how sweet it made Nathan out to be. “The Arcadia Bay Homeless Fund?” 

“Huh?” 

Max brought the file over and spread it out on the desk, “Nathan has worked with the Arcadia Bay Homeless Fund according to his file.” 

Victoria blinked owlishly before slowly shaking her head, “No, that’s not him. He’d point and laugh at them, but he wouldn’t go help homeless people.” Her shoulders sunk as she continued to flip through the pages, “...this is doctored. He’s been to detention twice, he’s missed Vortex Club meetings because of it.” 

Victoria looked sad, and it hurt Max to see her beautiful features falling even further. “Victoria, listen-” 

The blonde shook her head, “Don’t.” Max shut her mouth with a clack. Victoria’s features softened, “I… I don’t want you to try to soften this or anything. He hurt you. You can’t look at him like he can be better because he won’t be, not until we make sure he has no power to get away with this.” 

She opened some more files on the computer. “Victoria, he’s your friend, it should bother you. I want to help-” 

“Found something,” Victoria said measuredly. “Disciplinary Warning Report… disrupted various classes… erratic behaviour… record expunged?” 

“Expunged!? How is that possible?” 

Victoria shrugged, “You get away with a lot when you have money to throw at all your problems.” She clicked again and winced, “Essspecially when dear old bastard is ready to threaten the entire school.” 

Max leaned over Victoria’s shoulder to read the next email. It was from Sean Prescott detailing his displeasure of the ‘unwarranted accusations’ against his son. 

Something else caught her eye. “What’s that?” she tapped the screen next to the file ‘nathan_prescott_scan_005’. 

Victoria hummed, “I dunno…” 

The file opened and the temperature in the room dropped, figuratively first, then literally. It looked like a simple chaotic scribble. Dark shapes begetting insanity within a dark place. The words scrawled over the page gave new meaning to the art. 

“‘Rachel in the dark room’?” Max asked quietly. 

Victoria clicked on a few other files and read as Max contemplated what Nathan’s scrawls could mean, “...David is involved. He harassed Rachel. We need to go ask some questions.” 

Max nodded absently. The words stuck in her mind, like a gummy chewed into pieces clinging desperately to one’s teeth. Only Nathan could truly explain what ‘The Dark Room’ meant, but Max could make some guesses. The one that stuck was the morbid one, “Do you think that… maybe… Rachel is-” 

Victoria scoffed with a shake of her head, “I’m not lucky enough for her to be dead, Max.” Max glared at her. Victoria raised her hands in response, “Woah, sorry, just… Look, I’m sure she’s fine. This is just some schizoid rambling that Nathan did while he was off his meds, alright?” 

Max eased her glare but kept a frown, “Or he knows what happened to Rachel.” 

“Alright, well, we got what we came for, so let’s go,” Victoria said as she closed the files and logged out of the computer. 

Max shook her head free of the dark thoughts. They’d find Rachel and expose Nathan. ‘For Kate.’  

 


 

“Let’s get back to the hospital,” Max suggested as they out to the quad, “I don’t want to leave Kate and Chloe longer than I have to.” 

Victoria grimaced, “Really? You’d rather go sleep in an uncomfortable hospital chair than in your own bed?” Max opened her mouth- “and don’t get me started on your clothes! You smell like sweat, rust, and blood and it’s hard to ignore.” 

That got the brunette to pause. She grabbed the sleeve of her hoodie and sniffed. She cringed, “Ugh… yeah, I could use a change of clothes.” 

“And a fuckin’ drink,” Victoria smirked before grabbing Max’s wrist, “I know I need one.” 

Max didn’t know what made her feel so weak in that moment, but it caused her to allow Victoria to drag her across the quad to the dormitories. They passed an unconscious Raymond Wells who reeked of scotch and entered the building. 

Max was no stranger to the darkness of the dorms. She had a bad tendency to stay up way too late watching short videos on her laptop and take a few late night trips to the restrooms. But the air was different now. It was somber, it felt darker than it should. 

“Come on, let’s get to my room.” 

Max tilted her head, “Your room?” 

Victoria nodded, “Yeah, I’ve got resources for us to unwind. I also need to rewrap your hand in an actual compression bandage instead of my tights remember?” 

Max pulled her wrist out of the blonde’s grasp. She shook her head, “Victoria I don’t want to drink-” 

“I have-” 

“-Nor do I want to smoke pot, Victoria.” Max sighed disapprovingly, “I don’t need any illegal substances to have a good time.” 

“Pot will help you relax, I  smoke it mainly to relax.” Victoria sighed and rolled her eyes, “But I get it if you’re a pussy, you know?” She smirked at Max from the corner of her eye. 

Max didn’t bite as she crossed her arms, “I’d rather be stressed about this I think. I have a lot to be worried about.” 

Victoria opened her mouth, but her argument died in a strangled puff of air. She sighed, “Sorry, I’m being overbearing.” She rubbed the back of her neck, “You aren’t the type of someone I usually hang out with. Just let me rewrap your hand?” 

Max felt guilty, now, “Oh Victoria I-” 

“If you apologize I will smack you.” 

The brunette giggled, “I’ll just smack you back. But yes, you can rewrap my hand.” Victoria was frozen staring at Max. “Victoriaaa?” she was about to wave her hand in front of the blonde’s face. 

But Victoria spun on her heel and started marching to her room, “Come on, Max, let’s go listen to some music and chill. It’s been a long day .” Max shrugged and followed. 

Victoria’s room was the same as it was when she broke in yesterday. Max blinked, “What time is it?” 

Victoria  turned on some lights but quickly dimmed them to a more tolerable level. The blonde blinked before checking her phone, “It’s uh… 12:47.” 

Max dragged her feet to the couch and collapsed into it, “Geez, I can’t believe it’s been only twenty four hours. Well, a little over that.” 

“Since?” 

“Since… everything.” Max hoped that was enough. Victoria simply nodded. It seemed it was. 

Max glanced around the room as Victoria dug through her desk drawer. Being invited into a room was way  better than breaking and entering. Of course the room didn’t change much from just a day -or two- but there was one new thing. A figurine of a glow in the dark alien woman was sitting upon the dresser’s shelf. It looked like it had come from some anime, probably. Warren would likely know it. 

The thought of him soured her mood further. She shook her head. Her trigger finger itched to capture the figurine. She stood and withdrew her camera from her bag and took the picture. 

“Shit!” Victoria scrambled to grab the statuette and toss it in the top drawer of her dresser. Her head whipped towards the brunette with a snarl, “What are you doing!?” 

Max took a step back, “I thought she looked cool, I wanted to get a picture.” Victoria snatched the photo from the camera’s dispensary port, “Be careful!” 

Victoria’s features softened as she scanned the photo. She sheepishly handed the photo back, “Sorry… just, don’t show that anywhere, alright?” She took the figurine out of the drawer and gingerly replaced it upon the shelf. 

“I won’t,” Max smiled softly as she pocketed the photo. 

Victoria chuckled, “Yeah, I know. If you were the type to do that you’d have taken a picture while I was covered in paint.” 

“Oh yeah! What happened to your cashmere? Did Taylor and Courtney get to you in time?” 

Victoria smiled and shook her head, “Nah, I don’t think there was any physical way they could’ve saved it.” 

“I’m sorry…” 

Victoria waved dismissively, “Meh, not your fault. Shit happens, y’know?” 

“Actually…” Max winced. 

Slowly, oh so slowly, Victoria turned around. “Max? What the fuck are you trying to say?” 

Max blurted out the explanation. That and confessed to having to break into Victoria’s room. “And I feel so shitty-” 

Victoria burst into laughter, “Holy shit, look at you, Max! You’re actually living !” 

“Huh?” 

Victoria patted Max’s hand, “Stop stressing. You have time travel, you can fix anything and do anything! And instead of actually abusing it selfishly, you’re helping people. Even when you hurt people, they deserve it, y’know?” 

Max scoffed, but she was smiling, “I could’ve killed you with that paint bucket.” 

Victoria shrugged, “Cai would’ve taken care of it.” 

“Cai?” 

“Oh! It’s my stand-” 

Max nodded, “Yeah, Cold As Ice, I remember you naming it that before you blew open the door.” 

Victoria stepped away and groaned, “Ugh, don’t remind me that the first time I consciously used my stand it was through a Dragon Ball reference.” 

“Oh, that’s where that came from.” 

“Don’t know it?” Max shook her head. “Well that’s gonna need to be fixed at some point. Not tonight, though.” 

“Tomorrow night?” 

Victoria shrugged, “Maybe.” She turned on her sound system and tapped a few buttons. The soft sounds of a guitar streamed through the room with the sound of a woman singing sadly about her lover being with another woman. Max found herself immediately drawn to the sounds. 

“What’s with the camera?” 

Max tilted her head. Then she glanced down at her hands, “Oh! When Nathan…” Victoria frowned, “...well I must’ve landed on my camera or something and it was beyond repair. Luckily Chloe had William’s old camera and she gave it to me.” 

“William?” 

Max nodded, “Yeah, Chloe’s dad.” She smacked her forehead, “I’m so dumb! You don’t know this but I grew up here in Arcadia Bay.” 

Victoria smiled, “You’re right, I didn’t know that. But you’re not dumb, Max, okay? Don’t say that.” 

Max rolled her eyes, “Yeah, okay.” 

Victoria frowned but didn’t say anything as she took out a bag of green clumps and small paper squares. Max didn’t say anything, just let herself melt into the moment. The music created such a soft atmosphere. The next song played, something probably called “Midnight Love” though who it was by was a mystery to her. She’d ask Victoria who the artist was once she was done. 

She watched her lick the paper and roll it with her delicate perfect fingers. She rolled the joint so expertly, like it was really just that easy to get hooked on drugs when making it was so easy. 

Victoria cracked open her window and lit the joint. Max prepared her camera and took the picture just as Victoria puffed on the cigarette. She smiled and pocketed the photo. Victoria smirked. Max kept staring at her. She would’ve taken a picture, but she felt that was an injustice. A photo could get lost, fall into the wrong hands, or get damaged. Her memory of Victoria smiling at her? That was forever. 

Max blinked a few times and began checking her phone. Her chest felt tighter. ‘What is this…?’  

Victoria stood up, “I’m gonna grab you some pajamas, k’?” She held the joint out to Max, “Hold this for me?” 

Max pinched the joint between her thumb and forefinger obediently. 

“Thanks, I’ll be right back.” Victoria left the room then. Max wondered how she’d get into her room, but shook the thoughts from her head when a mental image of Victoria crouching in front of her door prodding the lock appeared. 

Max instead stared at the joint in her hand. Max Caulfield had never considered smoking a marijuana cigarette in her life. She had grown up with D.A.R.E. afterall, she knew the slippery slope of drugs. But when Victoria did it, it didn’t seem evil. Chloe smoked it too, and while that was a terrible example to use most of the time she looked like Victoria. 

‘Beautiful.’ Max paused. ‘But more importantly they both look relaxed.’ She looked at the joint. There was some of Victoria’s lip gloss on it, putting a glint of light on the edge like a prized pirate treasure. Max had a feeling it was. She carefully placed it between her lips encompassing the gloss, ‘How bad could one hit be?’  

Bad . Very bad. She drew in too large of a breath and immediately spat the joint out and began coughing like she had crawled out of a house fire. Speaking of fires, the joint landed on Victoria’s coffee table and caught a few papers on fire. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

Max took a drag on the joint, this time she took a more careful drag. Her lungs burned less this time and the edges of her appendages were beginning to hum gently. Victoria was taking a while. Max released the mouthful of smoke she was holding, trying to make a ring. She was unsuccessful on that front, but she felt far more relaxed. 

“And here she is getting into drugs!” Victoria sounded aghast, but her expression was playful. Her arms were full with the pajamas Max had worn that morning. Or, no, yesterday morning. Whatever. 

Max rolled her eyes and shrugged, “You and Chloe are a bad influence on me, I guess.” She took another drag off the joint. 

Victoria plucked the joint from Max’s lips with a laugh, “Don’t hog it, bitch!” 

“Oh, sorry.” 

Victoria took a hit from the joint and shook her head, “It’s fine, your first time, I get it.” 

Max splayed out across the couch and sighed contently, “D.A.R.E. really hyped drugs up, huh.” 

Victoria snickered, “I guess?” 

Max only hummed in response. She started humming along to the rest of the song. “Who is she?” 

“Huh?” 

Max looked over at Victoria, “The singer, who is she?” 

Victoria blinked. She looked a little nervous when she answered, “She’s uh… Marie Ulven Ringheim. She goes by Girl in Red, usually.” 

“She sounds really cool.” 

“She’s incredible,” Victoria said wistfully. 

Max eyed the clothes that Victoria had tossed on the edge of the bed. “I should get changed.” 

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Victoria turned and stared out the window. 

“Oh, thanks! I’m gonna be paranoid someone’s watching me change for the rest of my life, I think,” Max commented as she began pulling articles off. 

“You mean Warren?” 

“Yeah,” Max paused, “...did he spy on you, too?” 

Victoria shook her head. Max could hear the scowl in the blonde’s voice, “When I go on my morning runs I see him peeking from a corner watching your window. Almost every morning.” 

Max nodded. She had never noticed. “I… I always-” 

Victoria shook her head, “You don’t have to talk about it.” 

And so Max didn’t. She relaxed her shoulders and removed the rest of her attire. She grimaced at her bloody bra and decided to remove it as well. She put on her pajamas and grabbed her clothes, “I’m dressed. Where should I put these?” 

Victoria gestured vaguely to the corner, “J-just, anywhere is fine.” Max nodded and tossed it all in the corner. 

She sat down next to Victoria on the bed and held her hand out, “I’ll hold the joint while you change if you want.” 

Victoria laughed quietly, “You say joint so stiffly.” But she got up and handed the joint to Max regardless of her pronunciation. “Don’t smoke all of my pot, you junkie.” 

Max laughed, “Don’t take too long, then.” She went to take a hit but felt her body seize as she watched Victoria unbutton her shirt and peel it off. 

Victoria’s shoulders were defined neatly with a slim waistline and strong back muscles. Her legs were long and graceful and they were strong, too. Like a horse, maybe? Max didn’t really know what she could compare Victoria’s beauty to. She felt inadequate, but in a good way? Like she was one of the luckiest people in the world in that moment. 

Victoria peered over her shoulder, “You gonna keep staring or take a picture?” 

Max spun so hard she got whiplash. “Sorry,” she whispered as she stared hard out the window with Victoria’s laughs chasing her mind in circles. The closet opened and closed. Victoria’s soft footsteps moved around the room. Eventually the mattress sank next to Max. 

“Alright, I’m dressed, nerd, gimme my hit.” 

Max turned and was  relieved, or disappointed, that Victoria was wearing a fully covering button up pajama shirt and pajama pants. Red silk fit Victoria well. 

Max held out the joint which Victoria accepted gratefully before taking a deep drag from the joint. Max’s hand fell limply to her side. ‘She’s close.’  

A new song started playing. Victoria stiffened, but she didn’t change it. 

 

“I've been hiding for so long

But these feelings, they're not gone

Can I tell anyone?

Afraid of what they'll say

So I push them away

I'm acting so strange”  

 

Victoria was watching Max intently from the corner of her eye. She looked almost scared. But Max knew better. Victoria was never afraid. The song seemed to match Victoria. Pushing people away and hiding- no, this was more Max’s personality. 

 

“They're so pretty, it hurts”  

 

Max smirked, ‘And it’s stopped being about me. Boys-’  

 

“I'm not talking about boys, I'm talking about girls”

 

Max stiffened. Everything became sharper through the haze her body was in. ‘Oh, is it-’  

 

“They're so pretty with their button-up shirts”  

 

Max turned. Victoria was wearing a button up shirt. A button up shirt she looked very pretty in. It hugged her features and made her look softer and so-

 

“I shouldn't be feeling this

But it's too hard to resist”  

 

Her heart was hammering in her chest. ‘Oh my dog… is this… am I…?’  

 

“Soft skin, and soft lips”  

 

Max’s eyes were glued to Victoria’s lips. Her skin was soft. Her lips looked so soft. Softer than the silk pajamas she was wearing. Victoria’s eyes narrowed, but Max didn’t think of that. No, she thought of how her new favourite colour might be emerald green. 

 

“I should be into this guy

But it's just a waste of time

He's really not my type”  

 

Warren Graham appeared in her mind. Hayden Jones. Nathan Prescott. She knew they were conventionally attractive, but… They were no Victoria Chase. And none of them, save for possibly Warren, ever felt like her type. 

 

“I know what I like

No, this is not a phase

Or a coming of age

This will never change” 

 

‘No, no, no, I can’t be g-’ she swallowed the knot of fear down her throat and absentmindedly wet her lips. 

 

“They're so pretty, it hurts

I'm not talking about boys, I'm talking about girls

They're so pretty with their button-up shirts

They're so pretty, it hurts”  

 

‘I’ll prove it.’  

Max leaned up and pressed her lips against Victoria’s quickly. Victoria pulled back immediately with her eyes wide and her eyebrows in her hairline. 

Max’s heart was pounding and it dropped like a tungsten cube. For once, she wasn’t afraid of what Victoria would do with a dark secret of hers. For once, she was truly terrified. Chloe’s death was always scary each time she witnessed it, and the first time she didn’t realize that Chloe was the one getting killed. 

For the first time she had encountered something she couldn’t rewind away from. Her breathing quickened. She was starting to hyperventilate. “I- I’m sorry, I shouldn't've, I-I should have asked-” 

Then soft warmth crashed into her mouth. Teeth clacked against hers and she couldn’t care less. Her eyes slid shut and she moaned as sparks popped at her nerves. The scent of cigarettes and fancy unaffordable perfume, the taste of human lips and tenacity. 

Max slid her hands up to cup the perfect soft cheeks and pull her deeper into the kiss. Her nose was mashed against the adorable nose of the perfect blonde. Two chilled slender hands slid up Max’s hips to her ribs as she climbed up the beautiful goddess’s lap. 

Max pulled back for air with a gasp. She opened her eyes as she panted admiring the other woman. Her stand’s hands were over her own cupping Victoria’s cheeks. Her eyes were dilated so widely that it was difficult to even tell they were green. Cai’s hands were holding Max steady as Victoria’s own hands braced her leaning back. 

“I… uh… I think I’m gay,” Max blurted out. 

Victoria tried to hold in her laughter, but her face split into a wide smile as she looked giddy and began giggling like a schoolgirl. “I hope so, I’ve had the biggest fucking crush on you since forever.” 

Max smiled widely, “Oh…” she giggled too, “Why?” 

One of Cai’s hands slid up the back of Max’s neck and gripped a handful of hair and said huskily, “Well, there’s your lips…” She closed the distance and kissed Max gently, oh so softly. 

‘Girls,’ Max thought giddily before she was led gently down.

Chapter 10: Calm Before the Storm

Summary:

All of the pieces are coming into the picture, creating the perfect storm. Max just needs to fit them all together.

Notes:

This is posted a lot later than I meant to! Sorry!

A huge thanks to my friend for helping me edit this story into a better piece and a huge thanks to all of you for reading! Please leave comments on things you enjoy or things you think I could improve!

Chapter Text

Max woke up with a groan. ‘How long have I been out?’ She blinked blearily as she glanced around her… not her room. “Where-” 

Something pulled her to the side further into a soft warmth that grumbled, “Stop moving…” 

Instantly her brain went out the window. Victoria Chase was so soft and so… relaxed. The most relaxed Max had ever seen the girl. Her blonde locks were messy and overlapping chaotically. Her soft pink lips parted in a window to the inner workings of her being. What little daylight that managed to pierce through the window blinds shimmered on the red silk that fit Victoria so well. Her eyes split open revealing unfocused emerald orbs. She smiled. 

Vague flashes of feelings grazed her mind then. Brushes of electricity exchanged between lips. Soft hands running along her sides. Warmth, comfort. A burning in her lungs before her mind began to slip into a calmer state. 

The one to break the comfortable silence was Victoria, “Good Morning, Ms. Caulfield.” 

Max released a shuddering breath, “H-hey, Victoria…” 

The smile slipped from her face and morphed into concern. She lifted her hand towards Max’s, but hesitated as her eyes landed on the improvised bandage. Her eyes widened, “Oh shit! I forgot to rewrap your hand!” 

The blonde shot up out of the bed and clambered over Max carefully and began digging in her closet. Max stayed in the bed numbly with her thoughts. ‘We… kissed. I’m…’ she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, ‘...I’m gay.’ She thought about the boys she had thought were cute in Seattle, and shook her head. ‘Am I? If I was gay I wouldn’t have liked boys, right?’ She draped her arm over her eyes and sighed. 

“Let me see your hand, Max.” Max obeyed and offered her hand to Victoria. She peeled the pantyhose off. Max hissed as pain shot through her hand. “Shit, sorry, Max.” 

Max shook her head, “D-don’t worry about it, it was dumb of me.” 

Victoria chuckled with a shake of her head, “I won’t argue with you there.” She opened a package and produced a roll of a tan bandage, “This’ll hurt a bit.” 

Max nodded, then chuckled before adding, “I do better with shots when I talk through them.” 

Victoria paused before the bandage touched Max’s skin. She nodded, “Alright. Let’s talk then.” She pointedly didn’t look at Max as she began wrapping the hand with the compression bandage. “So. We kissed.” 

“Oh, uh…” Max giggled nervously. “Heh, y-yeah… we did.” 

Victoria nodded. “What was it Max?” 

The brunette tilted her head, “What do you mean?” 

Victoria sighed and finally looked at Max. Her eyes no longer held the softness or vulnerability that they’d held in bed. Now they were walled up, defensive. “I’m not going to get upset Max -I mean, I will, but I won’t be upset at you - but I do need to know if last night was a drug fueled experiment.” 

Time felt like it slowed to a crawl. Max had to deal with life and death matters that all hinged on her actions yesterday and yet this seemed to be the most dangerous moment of her entire life. At least, that’s what her pounding heart seemed to believe. 

“I…” Max bit her lip. She sighed the breath she had been holding, “I don’t want to say the wrong thing. I’ve never felt anything for other boys, at least not like this. I don’t know what’s going on with me.” She laughed dryly, “You might know better than me.” 

Victoria’s brows furrowed, “Max.” The brunette tensed. “What…” Victoria’s form became muted, small. Her eyes held a light, this hopeful look like Max held Victoria’s world in the palm of her hand. “...what are we?” 

Max swallowed dryly. She didn’t know. How could she? She just had her first kiss and first makeout last night. “Uhm… could you tell me? I’m not sure-” 

Victoria squeezed her eyes shut, “It’s fine, Max. I… I get it. We don’t really know each other and…” She sighed. She shook her head, “Don’t worry about it, alright?” She tried to give a reassuring smile. It wasn’t convincing. 

Max’s heart dropped. She needed to fix it. “Victoria I don’t know what we are, I don’t know relationships, I’ve never been in one.” She laughed, “You were my first kiss even, I-” 

“Seriously?” Victoria scoffed in amusement, “you’ve got some skills for your first kiss.” 

Max relaxed a little and rolled her eyes, “You think so?” 

Victoria nodded, “Definitely have potential.” 

“So I need more practice?” Max smirked. 

Victoria belted out a laugh, “Is that how you flirt? No wonder you’ve never had a relationship before.” 

Max lightly smacked Victoria’s shoulder, “Shut up! It worked on you didn’t it?” 

Victoria’s laughter died down and that bright, hopeful look in her eyes was back, “So, you don’t seem opposed…” 

Max thought about it. Her and Victoria. Her brain pushed back at first, memories of her first few months at Blackwell showed a very different Victoria than the one kneeling before her wrapping her slightly swollen hand. “Well, what would a first date with Ms. Chase look like?” 

Victoria narrowed her eyes in confusion, “Huh?” Then Max smirked and Victoria followed, “Ah, you wanna know what you get out of this? Who’d ever expect little waif hipster Max Caulfield to be a gold digger.” 

Max shrugged, “Gotta make a living somehow, why not live the life of the rich and famous?” 

Victoria threw her head back and laughed. Max giggled. When the laughter died down Victoria answered, “We’d drive up to Seattle. I’d take you to my parents’ gallery, it’d be a slower night so you wouldn’t be overwhelmed by crowds. After that, I’d take you to this French place I know. I think you’d like the Coq au Vin with some Tarte Tatin for dessert.” 

Victoria ran her thumb gently across Max’s knuckles. “Then I’d take you to the beach here at night and frame you with the stars shining down on you.” She smiled and closed her eyes, “It’s the best photo I’d ever shoot.” 

“I… how long have you thought about this?” 

Victoria smiled sheepishly, “Uh, it’s a pretty frequent fantasy I’ve had. Honestly never thought I’d get to act on it.” She looked at Max and raised her eyebrows, “So, will my fantasy come true?” 

Max nodded, “Yeah, I’d love that.” She smiled and leaned forward. 

“Eager to continue where we left off last night?” Victoria raised an eyebrow. 

Max shrugged, “Can you blame me? I have an incentive to really practice, and if I don’t do it now I may lose the motivation.” 

Victoria laughed, “Alright, let me finish wrapping your hand first.” 

The bandage was wrapped expertly. It was tight enough to prevent swelling but not too tight to be painful. It would spark questions from any students, but Max didn’t care. She’d just tell them she fell onto her hand and Victoria helped her out. 

Then Victoria cupped Max’s cheeks and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “There’s your kiss, Max Caulfield.” She stood up and stretched before approaching her closet, “I’m gonna get a shower, there are some clothes in my closet that I ordered online and were too small for me. They’re yours if you want them, they should fit you.” And with that Victoria left the room. Max grabbed the pile of clothes that were set out from the rest and exited Victoria’s room. 

The hallway was empty when she left. Nobody was around. ‘Is it usually this quiet? What time is it even?’ Max checked her phone and grimaced at the charge. “Oof, Chloe’s spoiled me.” Her eyes widened and she froze in front of her door, ‘Crap! I forgot about Chloe! I never called her or texted her last night!’ Max entered her room before sending a text to the punk. 

 

YOU: Hey Chloe! Sorry for not

texting you earlier!!! x) last

night was crazy. How’s Kate?

 

She set her phone on the charger and grabbed her shower bag. She felt gross not showering last night, ‘Oh dog, I hope I didn’t smell when I was in Victoria’s bed. That’d be a bad start to our relationship.’  

Max blinked. ‘Wowzers, that’s gonna take some getting used to.’ She approached her bed and fell into it. The elation hit her all at once. She screamed into the bedding and kicked her feet. 

Once she got enough of the energy out of her system she sent another text to Chloe. 

 

YOU: Oh, btw I have smthn AMAZEBALLS

to tell you! Call me when you can!

 

With that she went to the showers. She passed Victoria on the way who was already dressed. She wore a peach button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to below the elbow. She was wearing black jeans with black high standard boots.

Max shook her head and cleared her thoughts. “I’ll meet up with you in your room after I shower and get changed. Then can you take us to go visit Kate?” 

Victoria nodded, “Yeah, of course, Max. Did you hear from Chloe yet?”

Max shook her head, “No, but she sleeps late so I’m not too worried.” 

Victoria nodded, “Alright, just don’t keep me waiting too long, alright? I wanna get to the hospital soon. I’m sure lots of people will wanna visit Kate, especially with classes being canceled for today.” 

“Classes are canceled? That’s perfect, that gives us more time to investigate!” 

Victoria nodded, “Yeah, got any ideas for where to continue that?”

Max tapped her chin. She shook her head after a moment, “No, I have no idea. Maybe Chloe’ll know better?” 

Victoria shrugged, “Worth a shot.” 

Max showered and returned to her room to change. She looked at the clothes Victoria had given her. The outfit was coordinated. Purple and white were the only colours, and there was a nice balance between them. 

A white shirt with purple horizontal stripes, a purple knit cardigan, and white jeans. None of it particularly seemed Victoria’s style. ‘Did she get these for me?’ Max shook her head at the absurd idea, ‘No, that’s crazy.’  

She begrudgingly put on the clothes and hummed. ‘No wonder Victoria hates my normal clothes! This is like a service to my skin!’ The clothes fit very well. Too well… Max frowned, ‘If she did get these for me then how did she get my size correct?’  

Max glanced at Lisa’s cracked pot. “...I’m gonna need to ask her about this.” 

She left her room and crossed the hall to Victoria’s room. She knocked on the door and felt her nerves shake. She was surprised she wasn’t worried about how Victoria knew her size, but she was far more nervous about the girl’s opinion of how she looked. 

Victoria opened the door and smiled brightly with a tinge of smugness, “Look at you, Max! Listen to my advice and we’ll get you in fashion magazines!” 

Max rubbed her arm, “I don’t want to be in fashion magazines, I’d rather take the pictures for them if I had to do anything with those magazines.” 

Victoria rolled her eyes and chuckled, “Whatever Max. Ready to go?” 

Max took a deep breath in and let it out. She shook her head, “No, I need to know something first.” 

Victoria’s brow knit together. She gestured for Max to continue with a nod, “Shoot.” 

“How did you know my size?” Max asked, “I know you said you got them by mistake or something but-”

“No, no that’s fair.” She cleared her throat, “Courtney said she uh, knew how to measure people from afar by using your thumb. So… I did.” 

Max’s brows furrowed this time, “...So you got these clothes for me?” 

Victoria shook her head, “No, just the numbers stuck with me and I was high when I ordered the outfit so I accidentally typed the wrong numbers. That’s all.” 

Max narrowed her eyes. 

The blonde rolled hers, “Max, I know it’s weird but I’m not lying, alright?” She laughed, “Hell, I doubt I could lie to you, anyways. You could always rewind until you get the truth, right?” 

Max relaxed. “Yeah,” she shrugged, “I guess you’re right.” 

Victoria nodded, “As per usual.” 

Max’s eyes widened as she gasped, “My phone!” 

“Huh?” 

The brunette ran to her room and grabbed her phone. It wasn’t fully charged, but Chloe could always finish the charge. She checked her messages. Chloe hadn’t answered any of them yet. 

She frowned and began typing. 

 

YOU: We found good info last night. How’s Kate?

 

Hopefully she was awake by now . She returned to Victoria. The blonde saw the frown on Max’s face and grew concerned, “Max? Did you hear anything back?” 

Max began shaking her head when her phone pinged. She pulled it out excitedly, until she saw the contents of the message. 

“Max? What’s-” 

Max immediately dialed Chloe’s number. It rang once before it answered. 

“Ma-” 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘MOSTLY’?!” 

 


 

“Ugh,” Chloe groaned after she hung up.

“Is everything alright?” 

Chloe shook her head, “Max is gonna blame herself for this.” 

“Why? She couldn’t have stopped that demon!” Kate scoffed. 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Not a demon, but Max isn’t gonna blame herself for that, she’s gonna blame herself for this,” she held up her left hand missing its pinky. 

“I still don’t understand, Chloe.” 

The punk shook her head. “It’s… a whole thing. She could’ve stopped that bitch if she were here, but she wasn’t.” 

“Why not?” 

Chloe shifted uncomfortably. “Uh… I’m not sure I should say. I don’t want you to find something out that paints a bigger target on you.” 

Kate opened her mouth to argue, but the fire died short. She opened her mouth again, “I just wanted to say thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Nobody has gone so far to help me before.” 

Chloe smiled and shrugged, “Ah, well, us girls gotta stick together, right?” 

Kate gave a tiny appreciative smile. “So, Max is coming back?” she asked after a moment. 

Chloe nodded as she tried to melt into the hospital bed with a sigh, “Yep. I get a feeling it’s not gonna be so great for me.” 

“Why not?” 

“Give it a bit, you’ll see.” 

 

“...you got hurt.” 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Not too badly, Max, just a few cuts.” 

Victoria balked, “You’re missing your fingers and toes, you moron!” 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “First of all, it was just the one finger. Second of all, they weren’t all that important!” 

“Chloe, you got hurt! You shouldn’t make light of it,” Kate argued. 

Max turned and walked out the room silently. Victoria shifted her weight between her feet, “Uh, I’ll go after her.” She left the room. 

“See?” Chloe pointed her thumb to the door as she spoke to Kate, “That’s what I was worried about.” 

Kate furrowed her brows, “You mean her being worried about you? I think they were both justified in their worry!” 

Chloe waved dismissively. “I’m fine, I need to get back out there and search for Rachel.” 

“...it’s okay to think about it, you know?” Kate said nervously. When Chloe didn’t answer she fiddled with her sheets and continued, “I remember last night. After she… fell… You don’t have to talk about it to me but I think you need to talk about it.” 

“Yeah, lemme just talk to the therapist about how the bitch I murdered last night was trying to kill you and me,” she growled. “They’ll just think I’m crazy. The police even think I’m crazy.” 

“Then show them!” Kate argued, “You aren’t going to get anywhere sinking deeper into the bog!” 

Chloe raised an eyebrow, “‘The bog’?” 

Kate nodded. Her gaze became distant, “That’s what it was. A bog. Whenever someone told me… called me names, I sunk further down. Whenever I was alone in my room my mind would torment me instead.” She looked into Chloe’s eyes, “I wish I had someone to listen to me, to tell me I was wrong. Even if I wasn’t ready to listen to them disagree, it would have helped. It’ll help you.” 

Chloe turned away from Kate, the heavy weight of her hazel eyes laid siege to Chloe’s doubts and fears. 

Victoria led Max back into the room by the hand. “So… you have some visitors, Chloe.” Max slumped into a visitor’s chair. Victoria shuffled nervously, “You too, Kate.” 

Chloe frowned, “Shit, is it my mom? Fuck I don’t wanna deal with her,” she groaned. 

Victoria shook her head, “No, it’s… the police.” 

Chloe blinked. “Fuck.” 

Victoria nodded, “Right.” She looked at Kate for a moment. “...you killed someone?” Chloe sighed and nodded. “Alright. And you know why she was here, right?” 

“Nathan hired her.” 

Victoria winced. “Shit. Alright, keep quiet about it.” Chloe opened her mouth to begin arguing, but Victoria tapped her index to her own lips, shushing her. She nodded towards the door and whispered, “We all know whose side they’re on. Don’t give them a reason to think we’re a problem, alright?” 

Chloe grumbled but nodded. “We’re not letting him get away with this, Vic.” 

Victoria nodded, “Of course not, but we need to be careful. You may have been born here, but this is still Prescott turf. We need to move very carefully.” 

Chloe nodded, “As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. What’d you find last night?” 

Max remained silent while Victoria gave a rundown of what was found. Chloe didn’t miss how Max looked everywhere but the punk and Kate. “-and so we’re going to go take a look in his dorm.” 

“Maybe wait? I wanna come with you when the time comes,” Chloe nodded towards Max, “if his stand can catch her off guard then we need to be at full strength.” 

Victoria glanced at Max with a frown. She hesitantly nodded, “Y-yeah. Fine. What do we do today instead?” 

Chloe smirked, “Well, I think we play to our strengths. I talk to the cops, get them off our ass. You organize all our evidence so far into something more understandable. And Max can break the news to my mom and David.” 

Max startled at that, “What!?” 

Chloe gave Max her best puppy eye stare, “Please, I don’t want to deal with them. Besides, David is someone we need. Trust me.” 

“David?” Victoria gave a look of disgust at the idea, “You mean the fucking security guy from Blackwell?” 

Chloe nodded smugly, “Yup. He’s an ass, but an important ass that we need on our side.” She looked at Max, “When you see him, tell him ‘Eleven Twenty-Seven o’Eight’.” 

There was a knock at the door. Victoria swore under her breath, “We’ll come pick you up so you can sleep in your own bed tonight.” She smirked, “Even if we need to break you out.” 

Chloe cackled as Max and Victoria pushed past the police. 

 

“Alright, let’s go meet Chloe’s parents,” Victoria sighed as she started the car. Max didn’t say anything, just hung her head and folded into herself. “And don’t blame yourself. This is all Nathan’s fault, right?” 

Max didn’t necessarily disagree. Nathan was certainly the core of the problem. But how many more times would people close to Max be hurt because of her absence? Was she being narcissistic for thinking that? Probably. It didn’t change the fact that Max wasn’t there for the people closest to her and they were hurt because she kept abandoning them. 

“Let’s just get this over with,” Max muttered bitterly. 

Victoria frowned, “Max-” 

The brunette shook her head, “No. Just… no.” 

They didn’t speak until they pulled up in front of Chloe’s house. The entire ride was full of fantasies of Joyce Madsen metaphorically and sometimes literally ripping Max Caulfield’s head off. She didn’t know much about the security guard of Blackwell campus, just his name: David Madsen. 

“So, this is Chloe’s place?” Victoria asked. Max nodded. “What’s with the paint?” she nodded towards the half painted house with faded blue paint above sandstone coloured wood. 

“William died before he could finish it.” Max stepped out of the car with that. Victoria followed shortly after. 

Max’s knuckles bumble weakly against the door. It wouldn’t be loud enough unless someone was walking near the door at that moment. Victoria rang the doorbell for Max and grabbed her hand. She drew spirals on the skin around the wrapped knuckle. Max leaned into Victoria, anyone seeing her be damned. Joyce would- 

“Max? Where’s Chloe?” Joyce asked. Oh, she had opened the door. She was wearing her uniform for the Two Whales. 

Max opened her mouth, but Victoria spoke first. “Hi, Mrs. Price. We’re friends of Chloe’s-” 

Joyce turned a glare on Victoria that silenced the younger blonde, “I didn’t ask you. I asked Chloe’s best friend.” Her gaze softened as it was leveled onto Max, “Where is she? She hasn’t called and she hasn’t shown up. I’m hoping you know-” 

Max burst into tears blubbering things like “it’s all my fault”. Joyce turned to Victoria with a devastated look on her face. 

Victoria stiffened and laughed awkwardly, “S-she’s fine! Chloe is just fine! She just got attacked and is in the hospital. She’ll be fine and we’ll bring her back tonight!” 

Joyce nodded as she pulled in Max for a hug. “Alright.” 

Victoria ended up leading Max to the couch where she cried herself into an exhausted nap. Victoria watched her rest from the kitchen while Joyce worked on breakfast. “It’s been a long week.” 

Joyce chuckled, “It’s only Wednesday.” 

“Exactly.” 

Joyce frowned. She turned the heat lower and turned to Victoria, “Tell me what happened to my daughter. Don’t sugarcoat it, either.” 

“She was… attacked. There was a crazy woman trying to kill Max’s friend. Chloe stepped up,” Victoria explained. “She lost a finger, and some toes.” Victoria hastily added, “She was in good spirits, all things considered.” 

“And the woman?” Joyce growled. 

“Chloe threw her out a window. She died on impact.” 

Joyce huffed, “Damn, and here I was hopin’ I could get my hands on her.” 

Victoria laughed, “Yeah, well, I think you would’ve had to get in line. Max probably gets dibs.” 

“What happened to her?” Joyce nodded towards the couch, “Her hand, I mean.” 

Victoria looked over at the couch. Max looked so small curled up like that. But she looked peaceful. Not tired of having to blame her absence for something she could’ve prevented had she only been there. Victoria couldn’t keep the worry out of her heart. Hopefully the nap would help her feel better. 

“She tripped, hit her hand pretty bad on a doorknob at the dorms. I wrapped it this morning.” 

Joyce shook her head with a fond smile, “I swear, if it weren’t Chloe stirrin’ up trouble it was Max gettin’ hurt.” 

Victoria nodded, “Yeah, Max mentioned that she grew up here. What was she like back then? Any embarrassing stories? 

Joyce laughed harder at that. She shook her head, “Ah, nothin’ too interesting. There was the time she and Chloe ran around the neighborhood as pirates demanding people pay tribute to the great bluebeard and her first mate.” 

Victoria shared a laugh with Joyce. “So she’s always been this quiet?” 

Joyce nodded. “Yes. She was always the calm to Chloe’s chaos. Hell, when you needed Chloe to do somethin’ you got Max to wanna do it first.” Her eyes drifted to a stain on the carpet, “Oh I have a story for you-” 

The staircase creaked as a man stepped down them. Victoria peaked around the corner and spotted him. He was wearing a short sleeve button up tan shirt and navy blue pants. He was already wearing boots. Then he rounded the corner of the stairs and scowled at her. “Joyce, who-” 

“Friends of Chloe’s.” 

He scoffed and shook his head. He walked past and muttered, “Not good ones,” just quiet enough for Victoria to be the only one to hear it. 

Victoria felt the easy fake smile go on, “I’m sorry, did you say something?” 

“Careful where you’re treadin’, missy. This isn’t Blackwell, this is my home.” And damn if he wasn’t intimidating. Then again, what could she expect from the security guard of Blackwell Academy? 

‘Chloe told some code to Max, right? Shit, can’t remember it.’ She grimaced. “Of course, sir. My apologies.” 

It seemed to appease the man, who nodded as his features softened into a less harsh glare. He walked over to the dining table and sat down to read the newspaper. 

“Breakfast will be a bit, hope that ain’t an issue?” Joyce asked. 

“No problem at all, take your time, hun.” 

Victoria raised an eyebrow. She turned to Joyce and quietly asked, “He kinda comes across as an asshole. What’s his deal?” 

Joyce nodded sadly, “He’s had an unfortunate life.” 

That only troubled Victoria more. Was Chloe going to be like that after all of this? Or worse, was Max?

“Anyways, that stain? Those two got into my wine cabinet-” 

 


 

Max opened her eyes with a distinct feeling of otherness. She pushed herself up and her eyes landed on a deep red stain on the blue carpet. 

“You’ve been out for less than an hour,” a deep masculine voice said from behind the couch. Max turned around and spotted a man with a buzzcut and a moustache at the kitchen table reading a newspaper. 

“S-sorry.” 

The man didn’t look up from his newspaper, “Whatever.” 

Max flinched. She rubbed her arm as she stood, “Are you Mr. Madsen?” 

Mr. Madsen scowled into the paper, “It’s David , missy.” 

“Uhm, Chloe told me to tell you something?” 

He harrumphed, “Oh really? Well, pray tell.” 

“Uhm… eleven twenty-seven o’eight?” 

David’s demeanor changed instantly. He stiffened and finally lowered the paper to the table. His brown eyes poured pity over Max as his expression softened, “...oh… I see.” He stood up and went to the kitchen. Max didn’t know what else to do, so she followed. 

David pulled out a mug and a bottle of whiskey, “I always hoped I had left war behind. I’ve seen some terrible things, you know?” He pulled out the coffee pot and poured himself a nearly full cup and topped it off with a shot of whiskey. 

“But I can’t really say it was scarier than when my stepdaughter almost electrocuted me to death.” 

Max recoiled like she was slapped. “What!? No, she wouldn’t do that.” 

David laughed bitterly, “Oh she did.” He took a sip from his mug, “I’ve stared down the barrel of a gun, but Chloe? She’s got passion. Passion that lashes out like electric fire.” 

Despite herself a laugh bubbled out of Max. David relaxed a bit more. “I was a terrible father to her. Still am, I suppose. We were having an argument. I was tellin’ Chloe that Rachel wasn’t good for her. I got… violent. She, rightfully so, got violent back.” 

He smiled at Max’s glare. “She explained how she did it. We had an adult conversation. First one we had. I agreed to leave her alone, but if she ever needed my help she’d give me a code. The day I met my wife.”

He nodded towards Max, “So, how bad is it? How bad is it really?” 

“She… she’s lost…” she swallowed the lump down. 

“I overheard your friend and my wife talkin’ about her hits, but it wasn’t what I meant.” David nodded towards Max, “Give me intel. What’s your opponent like? What intel do you have against them?” 

Max explained everything she had. “We know it’s Nathan Prescott. He hired some woman to attack one of his victims. Chloe was there to help.” 

“Had to have been pretty damn impressive to get Chloe.” 

Max nodded, “Yeah. I wasn’t there to help, so I don’t know what she was like.” 

David frowned, “What were you doing instead?” 

Max bit her bottom lip, “Uhm, well… Victoria and I kinda… broke into Blackwell?” 

David blinked. He shook his head angrily, “That was reckless!” 

“We found evidence that Blackwell was covering for Nathan!” Max argued, “It was important.” 

David shook his head, “I’m not upset at you, I’m upset at Chloe. If she had given me the signal I could’ve given y’all the keys or something. What would’ve happened if you had gotten caught, huh? Or tripped the alarm?” 

Max winced, “Oh, we kinda did…” David’s eyes widened considerably. Max waved her hands, “But but but but! It’s okay. Chloe told you about stands?” 

David nodded. Max stood up and walked behind him. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

“The hell!?” 

Max lowered her hand, “My stand can rewind time. It’s been the only thing that’s been able to save Chloe’s life.” 

A gentle hand squeezed her shoulder. Max looked up to meet David Madsen’s kind eyes and gentle smile. “Thank you, Max. I don’t know what I’d do if Chloe was lost.” 

A weight dropped in her chest as she nodded, “No problem.” 

Joyce and Victoria came in from the backyard smelling of cigarette smoke. Victoria smiled brightly, “Max! Are you feeling any better?” 

Max nodded, “Yeah. I know what we need to do.” She turned back to David, “Do you have anything that can help us with Nathan?” 

David nodded, “I do actually, come on.” 

 


 

Victoria glanced at the RV parked in the parking lot near the Two Whales. “...So, you know Frank?” Max asked. 

Victoria nodded with disgust, “Only guy to get drugs from in this backwater town, and he’s chill with it too. Good business man.” 

Max scoffed, “Not when you owe money to him, apparently.” 

Victoria nodded, “That and Chloe and him have a complicated history.” 

“History?” Max’s eyes widened. 

“Ha! Not like that, no. Frank and Rachel were really good friends, but you know Chloe. She’s a loyal dog who wants all of her master’s attention for herself.” 

“Careful who you call a dog, Victoria,” Max smirked, “she’s still my best friend.” 

Victoria rolled her eyes, “Alright, alright. Now, how are we doing this?” 

Max frowned, biting her bottom lip. “I’ll go check his RV, think you might be able to talk to him and get anything out of him?” 

Victoria smirked, “You sure you don’t wanna do that? Pretty sure I can open the door more safely than you can.” 

Max winced, “I’ll be more careful. I think I used my hand too much when I opened that locker. Besides, he knows you better than me. He knows I’m friends with Chloe, but you?” 

Victoria nodded, “Fine, fine. I’ll go manipulate the middle aged drug dealer, you deal with the loyal dog he has.” 

“Right.” Max blinked. “Wait, what?” 

Victoria wagged her fingers at Max from outside her car, when had she gotten out? “Good luck, Maxine!” With that she entered the Two Whales Diner and approached Frank’s booth. 

Max sighed and exited the car towards Frank’s RV. It was a dirty old model, dust and sand covering the windows. Behind the dusty windows there was cardboard taped over the windows, preventing any snooping eyes such as Max Caulfield’s. ‘He’s gotta have some dirtier secrets than drugs. Just how much is he involved with Nathan?’ According to David’s notes Nathan visited frequently. Whether this was for party favours for the Vortex Club or for something nefarious, she wasn’t sure. Victoria seemed to think it was suspicious, and Max trusted Victoria as much as she trusted Chloe. 

Max blinked. ‘Huh, I bet me from Monday would’ve laughed at that.’  

She shook her head, ‘Focus, Max. Need to concentrate to keep your stand out during the slingshot punch.’ Her stand’s arm covered her uninjured arm as she gently placed the fist against the center of the door. She took a deep breath as the strands of time coiled around her fingers and wrist up the forearm. ‘Please don’t hurt the dog!’ Max pulled back until the strands threatened to cut her skin then released. 

Her stand didn’t fizzle out this time like it had on the locker, or maybe it was simply stronger? It didn’t matter. What did matter was getting through the L shaped door and rewinding. 

 

<~~~~ 

 

Max sighed in relief. ‘Thank dog I didn’t break my hand. I really need to practice this stand stuff before I actually apply it. Now then-’  

A blur of brown flew at her with a cacophony of noise. Max threw her hands up instinctively to block. Her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for the attack. 

Her mind stopped at the gross sensation of something gnawing gently on her arm. When she peeked through her block she saw a dog hanging off her stand’s arm, aggressively trying to tear it apart with no success. 

“Hey! Stop that!” Max moved her hand to swat at the nose, but her stand’s other hand moved first. It lightly bopped the dog’s nose. The maw of the canine released its prey and fell to the floor on its side. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, are you okay?” Max cooed as she rushed over and began to pet. The dog growled in protest at first, but Max found a spot at the dog’s neck and scratched which settled it down. “What’s your name, huh?” She eyed the dog bowl to the side of the counter. “Pompidou? Heh, well who am I to judge such a good boy?” Max stood up and bumped the bag of dog food spilling it. “Ooops!” 

Before she could rewind, Pompidou began eating it. Max smirked, ‘Well, that’ll keep him busy for a bit. Now, to do what I do best: snoop!’  

 

“Hey Frank,” Victoria said quietly as she sat down in the booth. 

Frank Bowers sat in the corner booth with his back towards the RV. A good thing, too, as Max was just getting to the door. ‘Please don’t get mauled by a dog, Max. Please.’  

Frank scowled up at Victoria, “Not doing business right now, girly. Piss off.” 

Victoria sat down with a snide smile, “Really? Frank Bowers turning down business from a paying customer?” 

“Yeah actually, because I for one am not blind.” Victoria thought about the cop at the bar she spotted coming in. Frank punctuated his point with a bite of his plate of beans. 

Victoria blinked. She did a double take at the plate. “Who the fuck starts their day off with just a full plate of beans?” 

“Mind your own business, girl,” Frank pointed the spoon at the blonde. “Not all of us can afford caviar and shit.” 

“Yeah well I’ve heard this place has some wonderful waffles, so I thought that’d be a better goto.” She shook her head, “But nevermind. We have a party tomorrow night. Need a pretty big delivery with some, uh… specialties.” 

Frank somehow scowled further, “What’d I just fuckin’ tell ya-” 

Victoria rolled her eyes, folded her arms, and crossed her legs as she interrupted, “Please, like the cops would do anything to you with the crowd you hang around. Nathan owns them anyway, what are you worried about?” 

“Pays to be careful.” 

Victoria rolled her eyes again, “Yeah well with Rachel gone we don’t have anyone to get the big orders except for Nathan. He’s been busy so we haven’t got him to do the big deal and we’re running out of time.” 

“Not. My. Problem. Leave me alone.” 

She shook her head, “Wrong, actually. It is your problem. There are plenty of dealers out there willing to deal to us. Really wanna lose some customers to subpar competition?” 

Frank laughed, “Really? You may be blonde, but you aren’t stupid. You know they aren’t safe to deal with. Not as safe as me.” 

“Maybe,” Victoria leaned in and lowered her voice, “but they’ll be available and we need the supplies pretty quick. Maybe even on-site catering.” 

Frank studied Victoria’s expression, searching for the weak link in her visage. He leaned back with a sigh, apparently not finding it. The spoon clattered on the table. “Fine, let’s hear it.” 

“Well, we need some landscaping-” Frank nodded, “-with some party poppers. A personal order for me is some flour-” 

Frank’s eyes widened slightly, “You sure?” 

Victoria frowned. Frank never questioned orders. She nodded stalwartly, “Yeah, I want some flour. Never had any before, heard it’s good shit. You have quality, don’t you?” 

“Not a lot,” he rubbed his eyes, “but I can do it. What else?” 

Victoria glanced towards the RV. No dog mauling, no damaged door, no damaged Max. All seemed to go off without a hitch. She needed to stall Frank more to be sure Max found everything she needed to. “Well-” 

The door to the diner opened. Frank snarled, “Dammit.” Victoria glanced over her shoulder. 

The only time Max had ever looked angry was after Kate was admitted to the hospital. For such a timid character to be able to intimidate most salespeople was no easy feat. And it was hot. 

Victoria could swear that Max’s eyes were alit with righteous blue flame as she marched up towards the booth. Victoria frowned, “Max-” 

The brunette reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a couple of documents and tossed them onto the table next to the plate of beans, “We need to talk, Frank.” Max’s voice was low and threatening. No, not threatening. Promising of violence. She pushed herself into the booth with Victoria and sat down. Victoria let her do it as she glanced at the new additions to the table. 

“Don’t see what there is to talk about, except for the money Chloe owes me,” Frank smirked. He eyed Victoria with a sneer, “Really gonna let her push you around?” 

Victoria opened her mouth to retort, but Max beat her to it. “Your stand is controlling mud,” she nodded towards the blonde, “hers is doing stuff with ice. You literally don’t stand a chance against just her.” She leaned forward and gripped the table with her injured hand. The bandage faded away as her stand’s hand appeared and pinched the edge of the table. A crack split through the entire tabletop. 

“I kept you and Chloe from killing each other. I regret not killing you myself.” Max spat the words with such venom and disgust Victoria couldn’t help but blurt out a question. 

“What the fuck did you do?” Her eyes drifted towards the documents. 

Victoria hated to admit it but she could never forget Rachel Amber. Rachel held a fire in her, a fire of life that spread to everyone around her. Charisma, that was the word. It certainly helped that Rachel was beautiful with practically ruling the Vortex Club. 

Victoria had never seen Rachel in just her underwear. Hell, from what she had heard (and spread) Rachel wasn’t shy and would put out for anyone that was a little fun. Frank wasn’t ‘fun’. But there she was, on a bed in an RV in her panties and bra posing. “What-” 

“How’d you get that?” Frank growled. Victoria had been wondering what Max had meant about the mud, but when Frank’s clothes began to glisten she snapped her fingers from under the table and frosted the brown liquid. He shivered immediately. 

“Talk, and you can keep your gross pedophilic fingers,” Max whispered. 

“She’s eighteen-” 

“Frank, you’re like thirty four. Not the defense you wanna go with,” Victoria said. 

“When did you last see Rachel?” Max asked. 

“The beach. We had a fight. She left.” Frank sagged, “I’d never hurt her. I promise.” 

Max’s face didn’t betray whatever her sapphire orbs hid. “Nathan. What do you sell him aside from stuff for the Vortex Club?” 

“Plenty o’ shit.” 

Max’s stand’s hand shot forward with a blur. One moment it was pinching the table, the next and Frank’s pinky finger was bent unnaturally backwards. 

Frank gasped but kept a scream contained in his throat. “I’m not fucking around, Frank Bowers. I’m tired, so tired of having to go around in circles to get answers, especially when I have evidence that the people I’m after are terrible. So help me out so Nathan can get what’s coming to him.” 

“F-fuck, fine!” Frank whisper yelled. “I s-sell him Rohypnol. Says it helps with his insomnia and he’s been building a tolerance to his doses.” 

Victoria recoiled, “You sold Nathan roofies!?” 

Max didn’t react. “October fourth, did you sell to him?” Frank nodded. “Okay. Chloe’s debt is paid off.” 

“Excuse me?” Frank sputtered. 

Max stood, “I’m not killing you like I feel would be the best thing to do. I mean it. I think you dying would make the world a better place. But I like Pompidou, and he doesn’t deserve losing his owner. So, that debt Chloe owes you? You owe that to Pompidou now.” With that, she left. 

Victoria watched Max leave the diner. She turned back to Frank, “I used to really think you weren’t that bad. I thought you were just putting on this white trash front to keep people at arms length.” Cai tapped the edge of the plate of beans and froze the food, “But the only reason why I’m not killing you is because it would be a hassle. Get out of town by Monday or else I will hunt you down and turn you into a fucking ice sculpture.” 

She stood, “Make sure I never see you again.” Then she walked out of the diner to her car. 

Max was sitting in the passenger seat crying. Victoria stepped into the driver’s seat and held Max’s hand, “I’m sorry. I should’ve been the one to go in his RV. I-” 

Max shook her head with a sniffle, “What the hell am I going to tell Chloe?” 

Victoria blinked. “Christ, I didn’t even think about that.” She hung her head back and groaned, “Fuck.” Max started crying again. Victoria started the car with her expression set in determination, “We’re gonna go check Chloe out, I’m gonna tell her, and then we’re gonna head back and take a fucking break from detective and stand shit. Okay? We need a night off.” 

Max didn’t complain as the car began to move. She was exhausted. The week felt impossibly long like it was running in a spiral, even discounting the rewound time. Hopefully, that night would pave the way to end it all for good. 

But Max bit her lip in fear. She had almost completely forgotten about the storm that was supposed to happen Friday. But she had a stand she was getting stronger with, right? And Victoria and Chloe could help too. Maybe even Frank if they needed it. It’d all be okay. 

Max just hoped Chloe felt the same way. 

Chapter 11

Summary:

The trio face a stand above their expectations in the search for Rachel Amber. They find their answers, but at what cost?

Notes:

WARNING: HOMOPHOBIC SLURS AND VIOLENCE. This is a Stand Battle chapter. Sorry this is late! School stuff got in the way!

Chapter Text

Max shifted uncomfortably seated between Chloe and Victoria. 

“I can’t believe you’ve convinced me to get into this tetanus fueled death trap, Price,” Victoria snarked. 

Chloe didn’t say anything. She had been silent ever since the revelation that her girlfriend? Situationship? Whatever it was, Rachel had cheated on her. On top of everything, Max was afraid of whatever would be the straw that’d break her camel’s back. 

The truck pulled to a stop across the handicap parking. “Jesus, Chloe! Not only did you take up both spaces but you had to park in the handicap spaces!?” The blonde complained as she hopped out of the truck. Victoria sighed and shook her head, “I don’t think that’s very punk of you.” 

“What’d you call it, then?” Chloe finally spoke with a raise of an eyebrow. 

“Being a bitch for no reason,” Victoria teased. 

Chloe laughed bitterly, “Please, you know better than most I have plenty of reason to be an asshole.” 

Max hopped out next to Victoria, “C’mon, guys, we need to hurry.” She jogged towards the stairs leading to the quad, “I’d rather avoid meeting Nathan right now.” 

Victoria cast a glance over the parking lot as Chloe followed Max. “His truck isn’t here. We’re clear for now, at least.” 

“Max is right, we need to hurry.” Chloe said as she lit a cigarette, “I’d rather get caught after we get all the evidence we need from his room.” 

“Agreed,” Victoria said as she jogged to meet up with the two girls. 

Max didn’t know what Victoria had told Chloe. Presumably she had told the punk everything. Whatever was said it had changed Chloe’s demeanor for the rest of the ride from the hospital and the rest of the night at Chloe’s house. 

The evidence board the trio had put together the night before had come along nicely. They just needed to find where Nathan took Kate on the fourth, then they’d have everything they’d need to go to the police. 

They stepped into the boys’ dormitory easily enough. Victoria waved Hayden away simply telling him to “stay outta it.” Chloe tells Trevor to text her if he sees Nathan. Max just hoped that she- 

“Max!” 

The brunette turned and recoiled, “Oh my god!” 

Warren Graham was barely recognizable. Half of his face was still bruised and as he smiled he had an obviously more white tooth than the rest. One eye had just begun to stop swelling enough that it was beginning to open. He waved nervously, “H-hey! Uhm, I-” 

Victoria was on him in an instant. “ You. ” Cai flew free at him. Before it could strike the boy, Thunderstruck caught her by the wrist. 

“We aren’t here for him. You can kick his ass in your own time, and believe me, I want to as well,” Chloe threw a glare at Warren, who shrunk under the sharp gaze. “But Nathan’s a bigger target. Forget this guy for now.” She walked away towards Nathan’s room. 

“W-wait, I wanna talk to Max-” 

“Take a hint for once, Warren,” Max sighed, “I don’t want to talk to you. Not for a while.” 

Warren sagged, but didn’t argue. He nodded and went back into his room. 

“Alright, c’mon. Let’s do this. I’ll pick the lock,” Victoria suggested. 

“You? Since when can you pick locks?” Chloe scoffed. 

“For a while, and certainly better than you can-” 

Max summoned her stand’s hand and it punched through the doorknob. The door swung uselessly back. 

“Jesus, Max, you’re getting strong! If Nathan shows up he’ll be screwed!” Chloe laughed. 

Max smiled at Chloe’s good mood, “Unfortunately I would have to get close to him to do anything and I’m pretty sure he’d mess me up way more first.” 

Chloe nodded, “Good point. When I saw his stand in the parking lot it looked pretty strong. We need to be ready if he arrives.” She looked at Victoria, “Hey, we need to guard Max. If we get hurt here she can make it better. Plus she can use her rewind to search faster than us.” 

“And two on one is better, I get it.” Victoria looked at Max with concern, “Do you think you can handle it?” 

Max nodded confidently, “If you see Nathan, scream. I’ll rewind and be out the door to help.” 

The punk and blonde nodded and took positions at the exit to the floor. Max entered Nathan’s room. 

The first thing Max noticed was how dark it was. The only sources of lights were the computer screen opposite the door, the projector that Max couldn’t imagine how Nathan got installed, and the three centerpiece paintings in the center of the bookshelf each with their own lamp to illuminate them. They were dark, much like the rest of the room itself. 

The paintings, posters, and photographs that lined the walls all showed helpless victims. Whether they were trapped by leather, rope, or chains, or they were trapped by injuries and deformations and disabilities. It made Max’s skin crawl, but not as much as a singular polaroid next to his closet. 

“Oh fuck…” It was the photo her dad had taken when they had gone to that hockey game in Seattle before she returned to Arcadia Bay. With a shaky hand she reclaimed her picture. ‘I’m not one of your fucking victims.’ 

Max began searching the room. The dresser had clothes and a picture of Chloe. And Max had thought the photo of her being in Nathan’s room was creepy. The photo’s subject had the body of Chloe, but none of the life. She was curled up into a ball, staring off into the abyss. Max rescued the photo and slammed the drawer shut and moved on. 

The computer didn’t hold any new information that was important. Nathan had sent an email that morning to Victoria asking what she’d be wearing to the End of the World party that night. The wording gave her an ick. ‘No guy should be able to call my Victoria gorgeous…’ Nathan’s parents sucked, his sister was cool, and he was on… diet suppressants? Max shook her head, ‘Snoop for more important stuff, Max.’  

The couch was the final important thing she noticed. The carpet was torn and scratched in an arc flowing out from the leg. Max used her stand to pull the couch out easily. Max half expected there to be a secret safe built into the wall, but no. The secrets were far less secure. 

“A phone?” Taped to the back of the couch was a small ziploc bag with a phone inside it. There were other folded pieces of paper in the bag too, but the phone was what caught Max’s focus first. 

‘This can’t be Nathan’s phone, not the main one at least. Why does he have another phone?’ Max rewound the couch back and pulled out the contents of the bag. A cheap phone, not something Nathan Prescott would be seen using, a scrap of paper with blue ink noting several series of numbers, and… “The paper from his psych report? Oh shit…” 

Max stepped out of the room and jogged towards the two girls. “Look what I found!” Max shook the bag. 

Victoria’s eyebrows rose while Chloe smiled devilishly, “Oh we got you now, you bastard! Nicely done, Max!” 

Victoria schooled her features and placed her hand on the door to the exit, “Alright, now let’s bounce before Nathan-” 

The door swung open forcing the blonde to jump back. There stood the aforementioned devil himself. “Vic?” Nathan raised a brow at the punk and the brunette before scoffing, “The fuck ya doing with these skanks?” 

“Chill, Nate, they aren’t that bad-” 

“Excuse me?” Nathan said bewilderedly, “The selfie whore of Blackwell and the blue skank, and that’s using your words, are quote ‘not that bad’?” 

Victoria winced, but nodded. “You heard me. We were just on our way out.” 

“The fuck were you doin’ here anyways? Tryin’ to get that fag of Max’s laid?” 

Victoria frowned, “You know I’ve never liked those jokes.” 

Nathan rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, my bad.” He looked more genuine when Victoria scowled further, “Really, I’m sorry. Maybe they aren’t as bad, but they still fuckin’ suck.” He pointed at Chloe, “Especially that bitch.” 

His eyes drifted to Max and looked her up and down. Max felt like she was under fire from a potent nausea ray gun. Then his eyes landed on her hand. His eyes snapped towards Victoria, “What the fuck?” 

Victoria frowned and held up her hands in a soothing manner, “Nathan, we aren’t here to hurt you-” 

“Speak for yourself,” Chloe interrupted. 

“Dammit, Chloe! Shut the fuck up!” Victoria turned back to Nathan, “We’re trying to find the truth. I know you aren’t a bad person, not really, but-” 

“But you needed to break into my fucking room with your little hipster dyke? Huh? That it?” 

Victoria glared at Nathan, “Watch. Your. Tone. That’s your only warning.” 

Nathan laughed with a sardonic smile, “Really? That fucking loser? Please, you could do much better. How about that slut Kate? Or is she too unstable for ya?” 

“Care to explain why you had my picture on your wall if I’m so unappealing?” Max asked with a growl. She could handle her being made fun of. She’d dealt with it all her life. Kate? No, not anymore. 

Victoria glanced at Max, “What?” The brunette pulled out the photo from her bag and showed it to the blonde. Victoria blinked. Then she slowly turned back towards Nathan, “You grabbed that and fucking strangled her?” 

“Don’t tell me you actually-” 

“Cold As Ice.” [SAMUEL KIM MUSIC OKUYASU THEME FOR THE FIGHT] Cai materialized and shot a blast of cold crystals into the boy’s abdomen. 

He flung back into the metal door before slumping to the floor. “Fuck…” he groaned. A dark shadowy aura began emanating from under his clothes as the sound of chains filled the hallway. He stood slowly, steadying himself using the door. “You’re gonna fucking pay for that.” 

The Stand appeared. The chains around its face like dreadful dreadlocks. The grey corpse skin with chaotic scribbles all spiraling this way and that across the body. Simple black shorts covered the waist and the shoes melded into the leg. It looked strong. 

‘Shit, how are we gonna beat this?’ Max frowned as she pocketed the bag into her larger messenger bag before tossing her arms up into a blocking boxer’s stance. Victoria hopped back with Cai prepping another ice blast. Chloe stepped forward popping her knuckles and neck. 

“I’ve been waiting to do this since you fucking drugged me.” Thunderstruck shot out like a bullet meeting The Stand in a flurry of blows. Chloe grimaced as Thunderstruck’s knuckles slammed into The Stand’s. It was like punching a speeding truck. She felt her stand’s hands crack, and transitively her own hands were breaking. “Fuck!” she threw up a block and pumped a charge through it. 

The Stand hit the block and jolted back as Nathan spasmed. “GGHHGHGHG! Fuck!” 

Thunderstruck threw several punches to The Stand’s jaw. It raised a fist to attack but Cai fired a tight cone of ice cubes into its hand. The force was enough to send Nathan cursing and tripping into the corner. 

Max smiled. She wouldn’t have to rewind it seemed. Maybe to help heal Chloe’s hands, but if two on one was this overwhelming then- 

“GGGGRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!” The Stand roared. It stomped into the floor sending a rumbling to the trio. The three girls stumbled, but kept their footing. 

Then the chains shot from the carpet, sending wood chips and carpet fibers into the air as three chains wrapped around Chloe and Victoria while two wrapped around Max- 

 

<~~~~ 

 

Max dove to the side as the chains whipped around uselessly in the air. The Stand rushed towards Max. Victoria screamed something, but Max didn’t hear it. Her blood was rushing through her veins from the force of her pounding heart blocking all outside sounds. 

Max threw her stand’s arms up again and blocked the blows. The force set her teeth on edge. The Stand was fast, its punches blurs as it threw dozens each second. But Max wouldn’t let her guard fall or be broken, even if her bones would break. 

But they didn’t. Her arms held strong, amazingly enough. She weathered the blows long enough for Victoria to freeze the chains and break them. The Stand went rigid with Nathan as Chloe grabbed the chain and shocked it. The chains that Max realized were connected to The Stand’s feet retracted. 

Out of The Stand’s wrists came a large coil of chains that wrapped around its forearm and wrist. The barred teeth widened in a sinister smile as Max’s eyes widened. “Look out! It’s-” 

The Stand whipped a chain into Max’s guard. The blows had been sore, would probably lightly bruise later. But the strike from the chain cut a deep gash in her arm. She cried out and took a step back. Before she could take another step away another swing of the chain had wrapped around her blocking hands. 

Max’s shoulder sockets screamed in protest as she was pulled across the hall and flung into the drywall, cracking it entirely. She fell to the ground, grasping for her back which now protested as well. Max pulled at the purple cardigan. She felt sharp pieces of drywall pulling cuts into her skin and winced. She really liked this outfit, too. 

She looked up towards where Victoria and Chloe were holding off The Stand. Then she glanced over to where Nathan was. He was recording them with his phone. She growled as she pushed herself to her feet. “Nathan…” Max growled. He didn’t hear her, too busy watching his stand whip at Chloe and Victoria. They were dodging well enough, but they were also slowing down. The Stand was relentless, and they couldn’t stay on the evasive forever. 

Max rushed forward and tackled Nathan into the wall. “Fuck you!” she roared as her stand’s fist slammed into his abdomen. Over, and over, and over. Someone pulled Max back just in time to not get covered in vomit from Nathan. Before he had a chance to recover Max rushed him again. 

This time her stand went for his face. Each blow from her stand slammed his head back into the wall, leaving skull sized dents in the drywall. “How does it feel?” Smack. “Being the little guy? I said HOW DOES IT FEEL?” Smack smack smack. 

They were on the ground. Max was straddling Nathan throwing her fists down into him. Her knuckle was bleeding now, slinging blood on the carpet and on the wall. Or maybe that was Nathan’s blood? It was probably both. 

“You just expect people to take your shit?” Smack. “We aren’t your playthings!” Smack smack. “I hate people like you!” Smack. “You’re worthless!” 

Her arm was caught and she was pulled off. Max growled at the offender, but it was Victoria. She looked afraid, with Nathan still there she knew why. “What are you doing!? I almost had him!” 

Victoria’s fear didn’t diminish. “Max, you got him. We’re okay. His stand isn’t attacking anymore.” 

Max looked around. The hall was a mess. ‘Poor Samuel.’ Deep gouges in the walls and carpet, blood, it was everywhere. 

The worst spot was where Nathan was curled in a ball. His face was ruined. His lips were split, the cheek Max scratched on Monday was swollen and bleeding from the claw marks. He had trails of tears rolling down his cheeks as he moaned and whined in pain. Blood splattered the walls. Pain cracked Max’s hands. 

She looked at her hands and felt sick. The bandaged hand hurt worse, but it was less injured. The bandage would certainly need to be replaced. Her unbandaged hand was a mess. Skin was torn and blood was dribbling out steadily. Max stuffed her fist into her cardigan and winced at the sharp sting of pain. 

Chloe pulled Max up, “C’mon, we need to leave.” She looked to Victoria, “Can you drive my truck? My hands are hurting pretty badly.” 

Victoria nodded numbly. The blonde eyed Max. “I’ll be with you guys in a bit. I’m gonna go grab some clothes.” 

Chloe nodded, “Meet you at the truck.” 

Max was sitting in the center seat with Chloe checking her over. “Yeah, hate to say it but this shirt is DOA.” 

Max frowned a little. She was glad that Chloe wasn’t bringing up the elephant in the room. But she is pretty sad that the clothes Victoria gave her are ruined. 

Victoria appeared around a corner with a light jog carrying a small suitcase. She tossed it into the back and climbed into the driver seat. They had driven a few minutes down the road when the silence was broken next. “So… how is your hand, Max?” 

“I think I’ll need stitches, it’s still bleeding.” 

Victoria nodded, “I can try-” 

“David will do it. He’s given me a stitch before,” Chloe said. 

“Max? Do you wanna talk about what happened?” Max thought for a moment. Then she answered. 

 

“No.” 

 


 

 

Max stared at the board. The sun was lowering in the sky, sending golden rays from the window across the clean grey hoodie on Max’s back. The warmth seeped in through the bandaids. It was good. She took a deep breath as the warmth washed over her like a wave of comfort. For a moment she was able to forget that she had really been prepared to kill someone. 

She hadn’t admitted it, not in exact words. She had only acknowledged that the feeling was there. She had the power to make bullies disappear, and she had wanted to use it. 

Max Caulfield didn’t regret hurting Nathan Prescott. How could she? Nathan had hurt her, Warren, and Kate. He had hurt Chloe. He had hurt literally every person in the town. Her freshly sewn and bandaged hand clenched. The sting of the stitches tugging at her injuries pulled her from the daze. She shook her head to further push away the dark thoughts. It would be best not to think about it for now. 

A better use of everyone’s time was trying to make sense of the evidence board. There were three distinct sections: evidence from Frank, evidence from David, and evidence from Nathan. 

The evidence from Frank was mostly testimonial. Victoria had written out what she and Max had been able to discover from their visit to Frank. 

David’s evidence was far more helpful. David had kept a close eye on Nathan Prescott for whatever reason. Max couldn’t blame him, in fact she was glad someone seemed to want to hold him accountable that wasn’t a victim of his. ‘Everyone in this town is a victim of him and his family.’  

There were coordinates and license plates that David had tracked. There was Chloe’s truck, Frank’s RV, and Nathan’s red truck. There were a few other license plates that Victoria had discarded as she knew Nathan’s license plate. There was also a sheet of paper with traffic data, apparently from what few contacts David could scrounge together from the cops with the excuse that he wanted to keep an eye on Chloe. 

Then came everything else. The student records and the items claimed from Nathan’s room were taped at the lower third of the evidence board, a large plywood board Chloe and Max had doodled on when they were younger. 

Max frowned. “Feels like we should have tacks and red string.” 

Victoria laughed, “Yeah well if you need to get some to get solve the mystery feel free to take my card to the store.” 

Max smiled before lowering herself to Nathan’s student record profile picture. He looked younger, less stressed. ‘He doesn’t look like a psycho killer, but he killed Chloe and drugged Kate. There’s no telling what he’s really capable of.’  

Max looked at the phone. All three girls had received a text from Nathan, each a general variation on a threat. Victoria’s was somehow the most and least threatening, according to her, but she wouldn’t show Max or Chloe. If Max hadn’t promised to always tell Victoria why she rewound she’d snoop. 

She plucked the burner phone off the wall. Chloe had taken a few cracks at it, and so had Victoria. They were stuck sitting on infinite possibilities for what the four digit code may be. ‘It isn’t his main phone, so there has to be something relating to the code that came in the bag.’  

A SIM card and a scrap of paper. The scrap of paper was the most likely, being that it was filled to the brim with four digit codes. When Chloe and Victoria had run out of guesses relating personally to Nathan they attempted to brute force the phone with the scrap of paper. Max sighed as she grabbed a box of tissues. ‘I just hope this doesn’t give me a headache.’  

 

<~~~~ 

 

She cheered quietly and nasally as she finally got the phone unlocked. The list was immense, and her head began to swim with how much she was having to rewind in such quick succession. ‘Geez, I really need some training with my stand.’ At least she hadn’t pushed her power so far to give her a headache. 

But the several missing tissues from the tissue box were worth it when she was able to say, “I’m in.” 

Chloe smirked and joined Max kneeling on the floor, “Hell yeah! Broke into the mainframe!” 

“God you two are such losers,” Victoria shook her head with a smile as she joined the duo. 

Max giggled at the antics. She returned her attention to the phone. It was bland, simple. No background save for the default one, no new additional apps, nothing. It was typical for a burner phone, Max supposed. 

“So… what now?” the brunette asked. 

Chloe shrugged, “I dunno, I kinda gave up on it.” 

Victoria rolled her eyes, “Obviously we look into the text messages. See who he’s been texting. He doesn’t order from Frank using his normal phone.” 

“Really?” Chloe looked genuinely surprised. “Shit, he’s smarter than I thought.” 

Victoria nodded, “A lot smarter than a lot of people give him credit for.” She added sadly, “Me included.” 

Max hummed. Her finger hovered above the button for the messages. “What are we looking for, exactly?” 

“Anything,” Chloe said. She nodded encouragingly, “Now do it.” 

Max tapped the button. There were only two numbers texted. One had several messages, the other only had two. The first was easily identifiable. 

“Frank,” Chloe grunted. 

Max nodded. The context of the texts made that obvious. It was only about scoring the next fix. Nothing about the roofies, but whatever. 

The second contact was harder to pinpoint. “‘Please do not contact me at work… You want me to treat you like an adult who can get things done on his own? Impress me.’” Max grimaced with disgust, “Jesus, is this Nathan’s dad?” 

Victoria nodded, “Pretty sure. Nathan paints a pretty vivid picture of the guy, and I’ve at least overheard a little of a phone call once that is very similar to this.” 

Chloe stood up, “Welp, I think that’s all we’re getting outta this one, Sherlock.” 

Victoria nodded in agreement, “I agree. I wonder what Nathan’s dad is referring to, though.” 

Max shook her head and tossed the phone to the side, “Doesn’t matter for now. We need to find out where he took Kate, first. Everything else comes second.” 

Max glanced at the corkboard Victoria got from David. It was where they had consolidated the images David took of the places and coordinates of where the RV and Nathan’s truck were. She frowned. ‘There’s no way to tell which is which…’  

Something smooth slid across her fingertips. She recoiled. Her eyes were drawn down her stand’s arm as it held the burner phone. It slid back into Max bringing the phone into her grip once more. The connection was made in her brain a moment later. 

Max glanced between the times of the messages between Nathan and Frank and the times the photos were taken, or at least when the vehicles were there. When Max organized it according to the texts she found it. 

“Guys, I think I found it.” 

Victoria and Chloe got up from the desk and approached the board. “Really? How?” Victoria asked with an eyebrow raised. 

“Frank actually gives a lot of info in his texts. If we take those we can eliminate which of these photos refer to Frank…” Max took down several pictures, “...and we’re left with the places Nathan goes to. According to the dates, he went to this barn the day of the party that Kate was drugged.” 

Chloe cackled, “Jesus, Max! I was joking when I called you Sherlock!” She picked up Max with a hug and swung her around, “Super Max to the rescue!” 

“Careful, Ms. Price,” Victoria warned with a playful expression, “Don’t wanna make me think you’re trying to steal Max from me.” 

Chloe laughed harder at that, “ Your Max? What, you need a U-Haul already? I thought that was a stereotype!” 

“Says the bitch that was ready to move to L.A. at the drop of a hat because of a girl!” Victoria laughed. 

The moment grew tense. Chloe put Max down. “You know Rachel. She had that effect on people, y’know?” She smiled sadly at Victoria. 

The blonde nodded, “Yeah. We’ll find her. I just know it.” 

“And when we find her we’re gonna get answers. Why she left you, why she ch-” Max cleared her throat, “...she’s gonna talk. I promise.” 

Chloe chuckled wetly and wiped a tear from her cheek, “Thanks. For the first time in a long while things feel like they’re gonna be okay. We’re gonna bring all the bastards down and then we’re gonna find Rachel. Nathan has to be involved with her leaving.” 

Horror dawned on her face, “Holy shit, what if she left because he got her too?” 

Victoria and Max shared a look. “It’s… a likely possibility, I think.” Victoria answered after a moment. “Let’s find this barn and find out. Everything else is just speculation.” 

“If Nathan did anything to Rachel, he’s fucking done. I’m gonna break him apart,” Chloe threatened. 

Max placed a hand on the punk’s arm, “And we’ll be right there with you.” 

Victoria nodded and plucked the picture off the board, “I’ll go check this out on Google Maps, see what we can find.” 

Max smiled. They were almost done with this mystery. They were almost in the clear. ‘I can’t help but feel like I’ve forgotten something important…’ she frowned. She shook her head when Chloe and Victoria cheered, ‘Nothing I have to worry about right now. We gotta go to the barn for now.’  

Chapter 12: The Dark Room

Summary:

Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room Rachel is in the Dark Room

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Max and Chloe piled into what Victoria called ‘The Rust Bucket.’ Victoria would take her car. The drive was filled with Chloe blasting a band called Firewalk. It gave a bright optimistic feeling, despite where they were going. 

“So… Victoria, huh?” 

“Huh?” Max snapped out of her world. 

Chloe smirked, “You two aren’t very subtle.” 

Max groaned and put her face in her hands, “...don’t tell anyone, please.” 

Chloe had Thunderstruck place a hand over her heart while the other was up, “I swear to not tell a soul. Now, gimme deets!” 

Max lifted her head and smiled. “Well, we had broken into Blackwell…” 

“Ah yes, crime, the secret ingredient of many a successful endeavor,” Chloe quipped. 

Max shoved the punk’s shoulder, “Shut up! It wasn’t like that. She invited me to her room-” 

Chloe burst into laughter, “Oh my god! Look at you, using your super powers to score? How devious of you, Max Caulfield!” 

Max waved her hands frantically, “No, no, no, I didn’t use my powers! That’d be wrong!” 

Chloe’s eyes widened comically as she began wheezing. “Holy shit! You scored Victoria Chase first try!? Now that’s my Super Max!” 

Max groaned and put her head in her hands again. “We didn’t have se- do it. We just slept together.” 

Chloe nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s another name for it, what’s your point?” 

“No!” Max laughed, “No, we made out after we smoked some weed and I kinda just went for it, y’know? Then we cuddled and passed out in her bed.” 

Chloe nodded approvingly. “Y’know, I didn’t know you were gay.” 

Max giggled, “You and me both. The first thing I told her after we kissed was ‘I think I’m gay.’” 

Chloe cackled, “Oh my god! I can’t believe it! Who made the first move?” 

“It was me.” 

Chloe smirked evilly, “Oh I am never letting Vic live that down.” 

Chloe’s truck pulled to a stop in front of the barn’s doors. Victoria’s car pulled in next to it shortly after. Victoria looked uncomfortable. 

“Christ, this is just like Friday the 13th Part III.” Chloe commented. 

Victoria slapped her shoulder, “Fuck you! Why would you say that?” She glanced over her shoulder into the woods, “Now I’m gonna be paranoid!” 

Max walked over to the barn. The building was rundown and old. It was pure lumber, no paint anymore. Planks were missing, the roofing was falling apart, and any metal it did have was rusting apart. Except for the electrical box attached to a high exterior wall with a line leading through the trees to the powerlines down the road.

“Let’s hurry, we don’t wanna be caught by Nathan on his turf.” 

Chloe shrugged, “We were able to beat him last time, we’ll kick his ass again.” 

Victoria shook her head, “We ambushed him. I don’t want to be ambushed by that stand of his when he was holding us back with it unprepared.” 

Max was about to use her master of unlocking skills to remove the padlock, but Victoria caught her arm, “Hold on, Max, let’s keep our entrance incognito for now, alright? We might be able to use this to our advantage in a confrontation with Nathan or his dad.” 

Chloe nodded, “Yeah, this place is falling apart. There’s gotta be a different entrance that won’t be too noticeable…” 

After a bit of searching the girls found a bit of sheet metal that was covering a hole large enough for the trio to traverse one by one. Victoria coughed as she waved the dust out of her face, “Christ, should we have brought masks? No telling what could be in the air here.” 

Chloe shrugged, “Prolly, but it’s a bit late for that now. Just put your shirt over your mouth.” 

Victoria smirked and raised an eyebrow as she put her hands on her hips, “What, like a teenage boy after someone farts on the bus?” 

Chloe laughed and began digging through a wooden chest full of old newspapers and documents. Max, meanwhile, was transfixed by Victoria. The rays of golden light poured over Victoria, like she was the star model beneath the spotlight of a runway. Max pulled out her camera and snapped a picture. 

Victoria blinked at the click and whir of the machine. She gave Max a warm smile before looking around the barn, “I’m gonna see what we can find as well. There’s gotta be some evidence of Kate being here.” 

Max nodded and started looking around. The ground was covered in straw and dusty dirt, there was an old tractor, and cardboard boxes scattered around. But no bindings, no bottles of drugs. No towels or anything to clean up any sort of crime. Max was about to admit that maybe she had made a mistake. According to any episode of a murder mystery show it was never the first suspect you thought of, so maybe she made a mistake with the location? Why would Nathan take Kate or Rachel all the way out here? 

There was a groan and shift beneath Max’s foot as she took a step towards Victoria. She froze instantly. The ground had been dirt, nothing more. ‘So why…’ She brushed some straw to the side revealing old wooden planks underneath. ‘Probably just some wood to cover a hole, but when has the logical ever stopped me from snooping?’  

Max used her stand’s hands to brush the straw away so that she wouldn’t get a splinter. When it was all cleared away she gasped, “Guys! I found something!” 

The trio of girls all surrounded a large trap door. Chloe clapped Max’s shoulder, “Hell yeah! Look at you!” 

“How’d you find it?” Victoria asked. 

Max shrugged, “Just got lucky, honestly.” She reached her stand’s hand out to the padlock holding the wood shut. 

“Hey don’t you think we should try to open it inconspicuously?” Victoria suggested. 

Chloe snapped her fingers and made a ‘gimme’ gesture with her hands, “Bobby pins.” 

Max smirked, “You think you can do better than Victoria’s lockpicking?” 

Chloe nodded as she knelt down to the padlock accepting the bobby pins Victoria offered from her pocket. “David taught me in case I ever got kidnapped by an enemy stand user.” It took a minute, but Chloe managed to open the lock without breaking it. “Open sesame!” Thunderstruck swung open the trap door. 

Somehow the space downwards was far creepier than the trio had anticipated. It wasn’t a dark abyss with mud walls and rotting wooden planks leading into the serial killer’s basement. No, it was modern brutalist concrete with fluorescent lighting leading to a steel vault door. 

“What. The. Fuck. ” Max breathed. 

Chloe went down the stairs cautiously. Victoria shivered as she reached out towards the punk, “Chloe! We don’t-” 

“And we won’t find out if we don’t go further. This is bigger than Nathan, now. We’re gonna find everyone involved and they’re gonna get what’s coming to them.” 

Max sighed and followed, holding Victoria’s hand as the two made their way down. 

The steel door was clean. It had a bar to pull once the valve was depressurized, but if Thunderstruck’s pulling at the valve and Chloe’s grunting were anything to go by it meant that wasn’t the first step. Max groaned as she spotted the keypad to the left of the door. She let go of Victoria’s hand and approached the keypad. 

The keypad was a number pad, digits 1-9 with a 0 in between an A and B key… whatever those were for. The 2, 4, and 5 had faded lettering on their numbers, but otherwise the keypad looked normal. There were three indicators below the 0. ‘Do I only have three tries with this thing? Ugh!’  

“Here goes…” 

 

<~~~~ 

 

The light lit up green as Max wiped her nose on her sleeve and stumbled a little. She whooped weakly, “Got it!” 

Victoria caught Max as she swayed, “Careful Max! We have enough time to not push ourselves, right Chloe?” Chloe opened the vault door silently and pulled it open. 

The bunker seemed to be divided in two distinct sections. The first was the entrance way. To the right of the door was a shelf full of supplies that reminded Max of David’s shelves in the garage at Chloe’s house. Across from the door was a water heater and a sink. ‘Plumbing? Electricity? How much does all of this cost!?’  

To the left of the vault door was a curtain, effectively dividing the entire bunker. Whatever lay beyond the curtain would certainly be the answers the trio were looking for. Chloe was the first to march up and grab the edge. 

“Wait, Chloe, haven’t we found enough-” 

“Not until I know Rachel wasn’t here.” Chloe pulled the curtain aside. 

Chloe Price wasn’t the only one to immediately pale. The area beyond was a small photography studio, one from Max’s nightmares. There was a giant professional printer, a leather couch, expensive lighting equipment, an entire professional secretary desk area, the works. If Max had walked into a building and been met with this space? She’d be a little uncomfortable. 

But this was a bunker in the middle of the goddamn woods, where Kate had to have been taken at this point. But then there was the painting of the girl with the slit throat and the large landscape black and white photo of the naked girl bound and kneeling in front of a tree. There was the total absence of colour, save for Nathan’s varsity jacket draped over the couch. 

“Holy fuck I hate this place,” Victoria chattered. 

Chloe nodded shakily, “Jesus, I knew Nathan was fucking weird, but this was honestly not what I was expecting. 

Max swallowed. Her voice came out as a mousey whisper, “This place is lived in, too. This place has been here for a while.” 

The girls stilled. “Let’s just get what we came for and give it to the police, okay?” Victoria suggested, “Even with a stand he can’t fight them all, right?” 

Chloe shrugged, “I dunno, he was pretty good at fighting off three stand users by himself.” She walked over to one of the two cupboards up against the far wall, “But the sooner we leave the better.” 

Victoria nodded and made her way to the opposite end of the room, “I’ll check the boxes of equipment over here and the bottles, see if I recognize them.” 

Max eyed the desk and the cupboard behind it, “I’ll take the desk.” 

The desk had a clean, glass top. There wasn’t even a singular oily smudge across it. ‘Was Nathan wearing gloves?’ Atop the desk was a computer monitor and a keyboard and mouse. There were also two letters. One was signed by Sean Prescott and said that Nathan was a disgrace in no uncertain terms. The other wasn’t signed, or if it was, the signature was torn off. It was a bit more supportive as it acknowledged Nathan’s mistakes but said he had potential to do great things with the author. 

‘Who wrote this? It isn’t the same handwriting as this other letter…’ Max shook her head, ‘Not now. We can get it out of Nathan later.’ She tapped the space bar a few times. ‘Get the evidence we came for and-’  

Bile rose to her throat as she shot back with a gasp. 

“Max? You good?” Chloe questioned. 

Max began nodding, until she shook her head. “It’s an editing software. It’s Kate.” 

Victoria jogged over and caught a glimpse of the screen before retching. “Oh my god…” 

Chloe walked over now. Her face took on a sympathetic expression, “Fuck me… and I thought it was bad enough that there was a video…” 

Max stepped away from the computer, “I can’t check that anymore.” 

Chloe nodded, “I’ll take care of it.” She didn’t get to touch the keyboard. 

Max opened the cupboard and gasped again. “Oh my god…” 

There were dozens of red binders. Each had a name assigned to it. Kelly, Tyra, Cynthia, Shelby, all of them women’s names. Then there were the three biggest names. “Kate… Rachel…” her heart stopped. 

“Max?” 

“V-Victoria…” 

“Holy fuck.” Victoria stumbled back into the couch. Chloe caught her and kept her upright. 

“You said Rachel? Let me see it.” 

“Chloe, I don’t think-” Max began. 

Thunderstruck shot forward and snatched Rachel’s binder off the shelf, “I didn’t ask , I told you-” Chloe’s voice caught in her throat. “That’s our place…” 

Max walked over. The photo Chloe was staring at was of Rachel lying in a hole in an unzipped black bag. “Chloe-” 

“That’s the junkyard!” Chloe dropped the binder and broke into a sprint as she left the Dark Room. 

“Chloe!” Max called out. 

“The junkyard?” Victoria asked. 

Max nodded and grabbed her hand, “C’mon, we need to catch up to her!” 

 

~~~

Victoria pulled the car to a hard stop next to Chloe’s truck. Max hopped out before the vehicle had fully stopped, much against Victoria’s protests. The brunette ran towards the shack in the center of the junkyard. 

Chloe was next to the small structure, digging through the dirt with Thunderstruck. Her hands were covered in dirt as she dug alongside her stand. Max wordlessly walked over and began helping. 

It didn’t take long for them to find something. Victoria had just arrived when Chloe’s hand found the crinkle of a bag. Chloe started digging harder and faster. “No, nonononono…” the punk begged. 

She scooped out more dirt until a black plastic mound was unearthed. The zipper, now freshly exposed to air, shifted in the breeze. 

“Chloe, leave it,” Victoria warned. 

Rage flashed across her face as she looked at the blonde, “Fuck you! You always hated her! I love her, I have to know!” 

“You don’t have to be the one to do this-” Max started. 

Chloe grabbed the zipper, “The girl you love is right there. I need to know if mine is right here-” 

The stench. Oh god, the stench . It was horrific. It permeated the air, like a can of compressed air spewing its contents into the atmosphere. Max was right there, right next to the open rotting abyss. She shot back. The smell was dizzying with the intensity. Max dully realized she would never forget that smell. It would haunt her for the rest of her days. 

But not as much as it would haunt Chloe. Max managed to push herself to her feet and stumbled over to her friend. She moved past Victoria, who was doubled over and spewing out what little remained of the granola bar she had eaten on the drive to the Dark Room. 

Max fell to her knees next to her wailing friend. Chloe was the tallest of the trio, but at that moment she was the smallest. She was curled up into a ball as she cried. “I-it’s her- i-it’s her earring!” she gasped out through her sobs  before words became all but impossible. 

Max glanced at the bag with a sickness roiling in her stomach. She saw it, glittering as the light touched it. A stained blue feather earring attached to withered, dark green tinged skin. Max pulled her childhood friend into her. Chloe clung desperately to the brunette.

Max let the tears fall then. 

Rachel was gone.

Notes:

Hey! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit behind on the later chapters and getting those finished up but what can you do when you have college finals? I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to see you all next Friday!

Chapter 13: The End (of the World)

Summary:

It’s the end of the world as we know it. The end of the world as we know it. The end of the world as we know it. Mirrors through mirrors through reflections through imperfections.

Notes:

CONTENT WARNINGS: HOMOPHOBIA, VIOLENCE, MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH. IMPLIED DRUGS AND ALCOHOL ABUSE.

Hey! Sorry for the lateness! I've been busy with school and work recently. I will post the next three chapters together today! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Max and Victoria screeched to a halt into the parking spot next to Chloe’s truck. Chloe had fled the junkyard with a newfound rage, leaving Max and Victoria only able to chase after her. The punk was already jerking the door open marching towards the End of the World party. 

Max hopped out, “We can’t let her get too far away! We won’t be able to help her-” 

“Max… how big can a stand get?” Victoria asked as she looked up to the sky. 

Max frowned, “What? That’s not import-” 

Victoria pointed up, cutting Max off, “Look.” 

Max did and her eyes widened at what was above them, “Oh my god…” There were two moons filling the sky. 

“How? How is this possible?” Victoria asked. 

“Oh no. No no no..." She started, remembering now. The storm!” Max grabbed at her hair, “I forgot about the premonition! I forgot about the snow!” She grabbed Victoria’s shoulders, “We need to get Chloe and we need to figure out how to save the town. A tornado is coming!” 

Victoria looked towards the party. “...she’s not gonna let Nathan go. Not after what he did.” 

Max nodded, “I know, we’ll convince her. Somehow,” she added uncertainly.

 

~~~

 

There was a reason Max Caulfield never went to parties. They were loud, and the attendees obnoxious. Drinks were spilled and sticky messes were made. Then there was the worst part, all of the drunken flirting. Max couldn’t stand it. 

It was everything Max hated and more, and Victoria was dragging her straight to the center of it all. Stella gave Max a suspicious look, but didn’t say anything as Victoria pulled the two of them into the noise. 

It was a pool party, apparently. She felt bad for Samuel once again. Empty solo cups were tossed around, empty wrappers, there was a couple fondling each other in the corner, one guy was doing cannonballs into the pool. The usual kind of Vortex Club shenanigans.

The lights made it hard to see any distinct features on any surfaces. The darkness obscured the sinners and saints of Blackwell. The music the DJ was blasting made it hard to understand any voices. Max leaned closer to Victoria and shouted, “How do we find Chloe?” 

Victoria scanned the crowd. She spotted the VIP section and nodded towards it, “There! VIPs will know where Nathan is, and if we find Nathan we find Chloe.” Max nodded and followed the blonde’s logic towards the curtain. 

The girl at the check in table glanced up from her phone and snickered at Max, “Max Caulfield? The hipster selfie ho? What the fuck are you doing here?” She raised her brow at Victoria with a sneer of disgust. “You really hanging out with this loser, Vicky?”  

“Get out of my party. If I ever see your face again it’ll have a fist through it, understood?” Victoria spat with venom. 

The girl blushed and slowly and ashamedly walked away from the table. Victoria nodded at the bouncer who stood aside. She held open the curtain for Max as she entered the VIP area. 

There were two couches and a small coffee table with a bong on the corner. “ This is the VIP area?” Max asked with an unimpressed expression. 

Victoria bumped Max’s shoulder with her own, “Hey, that’s a bit harsh. Thought you’d love a place like this.” She gestured towards the area behind the main stage, “Besides, that’s the VIP area. This is just the chill space.” 

Once Victoria had mentioned that, Max noticed it was significantly quieter with the curtains set up in a ring around the couches. There was also a rectangular obelisk of a lamp that gave the area a soft lavender glow. The backstage area had several smaller couches, but less privacy. There were various people dancing as well, like Dana and Warren with Brooke. There was also a fully stocked bar, which captivated several of the football team’s players. 

Courtney raised an eyebrow from where she was leaning against Hayden, “Vic? What’s she doing here?” 

Max shuffled uncomfortably. Victoria was frozen in place, unmoving like a statue. She also wasn’t answering. Why the hell wasn’t she answering? Max couldn’t answer, she didn’t know what to call the two of them yet. Honestly she was just waiting and hoping Victoria would define them instead. But doing it here ? NOW!? Max didn’t want to be outed, but Victoria knew that so-

“She’s important.” 

Courtney and Taylor both share a similar expression synonymous to  what Max was feeling: What The FUCK???  

Hayden made an ‘o’ and nodded sagely. “Gotcha, gotcha. Wanna hit?” He held up the bong. 

Max shrunk back a little. Victoria smiled politely, “Not now, Hayden. Maybe later? I’m looking for Nathan, have any of you seen him around?” 

Hayden shook his head, “Nah, I’ve been here the whole time, too.” 

“What about Chloe? Chloe Price?” Max stepped forward. 

Hayden winced and shook his head, “Nah, can’t say I have. I’d remember her too. Blue hair, punk fit, yeah?” Max nodded. “I’ll text Victoria if I see either of them. Stay safe you two!” 

Victoria nodded with a smile, “Just remember to drink plenty of water you crazy kids.” She tugged Max towards the area behind the stage. Courtney and Taylor still looked bewildered by the exchange. 

When Max was pulled away from the chill area she whirled on Victoria and hissed, “ What was that !? ” 

Victoria shrugged, “ I don’t know, I panicked! ” 

Max sighed, “It’s… it’s fine. We’ll handle it after we take care of Nathan, right?” 

Victoria nodded, “Right.” She shifted her weight between her feet. “Well,” she began. “This way,” she pulled Max along by the hand, “this is where the party really is, usually,” Victoria commented as Max was pulled to the center of the backstage area. 

“I see where the perks of the Vortex Club are…” Max griped as she winced at the bar. 

Victoria nodded with a frown, “Yeah, it’s particularly bad tonight.” She tugged Max away from the bar and its patrons, “Come on, before one of the mouth breathers tries to-” 

“Max! HEy cutie!” One of the football players wearing a varsity jacket strode wobbly up to Max, shoving past Victoria. “C’mon, lemme take you some place nice and quiet.” His breath was rank with cheap alcohol and beer. It made Max gag as he leaned closer. 

Victoria smiled dangerously, “Logan, if you don’t fuck off I will personally kick your shit in.” She jabbed her claws into his chest and pushed him back, “And never ever touch Max. Got that?”

Logan rolled his droopy eyes, “You don’t even like each other, what do you care where she goes?” He wrapped his arm around Max’s waist. She writhed uncomfortably, sickened by the grimy touch. 

“Logan, leave her alone, man.” Warren shoved himself between Logan and Max, “You’re drunk. Go drink some water and get some air, man.” 

“Fuck off, faggot, nobody asked-” 

“One more word,” Victoria said icily as she held up a finger. “One more word and you won’t know what hit you.” 

Logan raised an eyebrow angrily. He looked between Max, Warren, and Victoria. Then he grinned savagely, “What’re you, a dy-” 

Cold as Ice shot forward and slammed her fist across his face before kicking him in the stomach. He fell to the ground and hurled. Victoria desummoned Cai, clapped her hands clean and paused to inspect her manicure, “Warren? Do you mind getting the bouncer to escort this filth out of my party? It seems that my absence has caused some to forget their manners.” 

Warren nodded. He looked towards Brooke and told her to wait a moment. When Max caught his eye she smiled and mouthed ‘Thank you’. 

Max noticed Brooke scowling at her, but the expression morphed into shock as Victoria sidled up behind Max and draped her arms over the shorter girl’s shoulders protectively. Max bit her lip. She wasn’t ready for this. But then Brooke smiled, like she was relieved. The bouncer came and removed Logan, and Warren and Brooke went back to their conversation. 

Max relaxed. “I’ll need to thank him more later.” 

Victoria growled as she massaged her knuckles, “I don’t think he deserves anything. I was the one that beat up the womanizing homophobe.” 

Max glanced around. They were mostly alone, anybody that was there were too engrossed in their own doings to pay them any mind. Dana might, and she was a gossip… ‘Screw it.’ She turned around and leaned up to kiss Victoria on the lips, “Believe me, you are very appreciated.” 

Victoria smiled giddily. “Well, we’ll just have to see how appreciated I am once all of this is over.” 

“Am I interrupting?” 

Max shot back from Victoria. “Mr. Jefferson? What are you doing here?” 

“Oh shit,” Victoria checked her wristwatch, “Oh my god! I completely forgot! The Everyday Heroes Contest! You’re here to announce the winner, right?” 

Jefferson dressed as he always had: white button up under a black suit coat with blue jeans and brown dress shoes. He nodded, “I am, Victoria! Though I will go ahead and tell you that you didn’t win.” 

Victoria smiled widely and chuckled, “I figured. Never stood a chance, did I?” 

Jefferson laughed, “You did, actually, until Monday hit.” 

Max frowned at the duo’s laughter, “Am I missing something?” 

Jefferson shook his head, “Nevermind it. Would you care to join me?” He looked at Victoria, “I’ll bring her right back, don’t worry.” 

“Don’t take too long, you’ll make me think she’s been kidnapped,” Victoria joked. 

Jefferson frowned, “I hope you know how inappropriate of a joke that is given recent events.” 

Victoria’s smile died. She nodded, “Y-yes, Mr. Jefferson. Just, be quick please. We’re looking for our friend Chloe before she does something stupid.” 

Jefferson frowned further and looked concerned, “Really? What could she possibly be doing that’s so dangerous?” 

“We have evidence that Nathan Prescott kidnapped Kate Marsh. We found…” Victoria looked towards Max, asking for permission. 

Max and Victoria glanced between each other. Victoria frowned and looked skeptic. Max pursed her lips. Mark Jefferson was their teacher, he was there to help students. This was exactly within his abilities to help, as well. He wasn’t owned by the Prescotts. 

“...Nathan murdered Rachel. We know where she’s buried,” Max finished for the blonde. 

Jefferson’s eye blew wide open, “What? Have you gone to the police yet?” 

Victoria shook her head, “Not yet, didn’t have a chance. Once we get our friend we will though.” 

Jefferson nodded, “Well, I’ll go ahead and get this taken care of so the two of you can go ahead and return to your search, but don’t say anything too quickly. Get your facts together and bring a full case to the police. You know how they are around here.” He put a hand between Max’s shoulder blades, “Now, we’ll only be a moment.” He led her towards the stage, “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” 

“What?” Max asked, but Jefferson didn’t say anything as he took the stage and grabbed a microphone. The music died down and everyone became silent as the spotlight centered on the photography teacher. 

“Thank you for a moment of your time! I don’t want to get in the way of the party, but it’s time to announce the winner of the Everyday Heroes contest! Before I do, I want to thank everybody who entered. Now, this is the most important step as an artist: sharing your work with the world. All of you represent Blackwell Academy, and everything it stands for. As far as I’m concerned, you’re all Everyday Heroes!” 

The speech was briefly interrupted by applause. Jefferson waited for it to die down before he continued, “The envelope, please.” He pulled out an envelope and opened it, making Max giggle. There was a part of her that had hoped that she would be the name there. Getting her work into a show so soon would be incredible for her career. But her work wasn’t nearly good enough to- “The winner is… Max Caulfield!” 

‘Holy shit.’ Was her first thought. ‘HOLY SHIT!’ Was her second. She walked up the stage numbly when motioned by Jefferson. “Did I really win?” 

Everyone chuckled, startling Max. She must have spoken into the microphone accidentally. Jefferson smiled kindly with a nod, “Yes! Your work was the best piece out of all the submissions. Do you have any words you’d like to say?” 

Max almost said no. She saw Victoria next to Chloe. They needed to leave, to find Nathan. But then she thought of herself from Monday. The scared girl that only submitted her photo to get away from the social interaction faster. A girl that was too scared to talk to people to even repair her oldest friendship. She wasn’t that girl anymore. She grabbed the microphone, apparently to Chloe’s chagrin. But she needed to do it. She needed to get the words out, so that they would somehow reach any girls like herself. 

“Uhm, hi? I wasn’t expecting this,” she laughed nervously. “But, that’s life, right? Life is… bizarre. You never know what’s going to happen at the end of a week.”

“I’ve had the strangest week ever, and I think everyone would agree.” Most people nodded. “But I’m not sure it would have happened had I not decided ‘What’s the worst that can happen if I try?’ I was originally planning on not submitting a photo. I only did it to get out of the classroom faster. I just want anyone who might be nervous to do something to know that there really is no harm in trying . You haven’t failed until you’ve given up. Always take the shot.” 

Victoria gave Max two thumbs up and smiled. Max smiled in return, “So, yeah! Live free and die hard, or whatever. Goodnight!” Max shoved the microphone into Jefferson’s side and bolted. 

Jefferson nodded sagely, “Wise words. Now please enjoy the rest of your evening!” The music started back up. 

Max joined Chloe and Victoria, “Sorry, I needed to get that out.” 

Victoria shook her head, “It’s fine, Max.” 

Chloe huffed, “It wasted time. Nathan wasn’t here but he’s somewhere.” 

“We’ll find him Chloe,” Max said. 

Victoria nodded, “Yeah, we’ll hear from him-” Her phone dinged. She checked it. “Oh fuck .” 

“What?” Chloe and Max asked. 

“He’s taking Rachel’s body!” 

 

~~~

 

The trio sped towards the junkyard. Victoria was flooring it. She didn’t care if a cop tried to pull her over. She actually hoped one would, then they’d at least have back up with a legal authority. Victoria shuddered at what Nathan might have planned as a trap for them. ‘We can take him.’ Victoria wasn’t afraid, or so she told herself. 

Max had hopped into Chloe’s truck. Victoria wished Max had joined her, but Chloe was the one everyone was worried about. Chloe would fly off the handle. She was fiercely devoted to Rachel, and Victoria hadn’t understood. Now she did. If anything happened to Max Caulfield she wasn’t sure what she’d do. 

They came upon the junkyard. Chloe left her truck running as her and Max hopped out. Victoria cursed and only put her car into park before she jumped out to join the girls. 

Max and Chloe were digging in the dirt in the place Rachel was buried. The trio hadn’t reburied the body, but Max did use her stand’s hands to zip the bag back up. The dirt being moved proved Nathan was nearby. But where- 

A stinging pain flared in Victoria’s neck. She cried out as she began to lose her strength. The world started to shift. She’d been drugged. The edges of her vision were already darkening on her way to the ground. She tried to summon her stand to soften the fall, to do anything at all, but she couldn’t bring it out. 

She hit the ground hard. She was dizzy. “Max-” she wheezed out. 

“No!” That was Max’s voice she had heard. She craned her neck up as best she could just in time to see it happen. 

The world seemed to be in slow motion. Max slammed into Chloe, pushing the girl back. Chloe hit her head on the side of an old broken down car. She would be okay. 

With a peal of thunder Victoria watched helplessly as a bullet penetrated Max Caulfield’s forehead and tore through the vital organ within. She wished she didn’t know what it looked like to see a human brain splattered against rusted metal, she wished she didn’t know what it felt like to know, but now, she did. 

She didn’t have time to process the moment, her vision only blurred over the aftermath. Victoria was maneuvered so that she was looking up at the clouding sky. Up at her enemy. 

Up at her idol. 

Up at Mark Jefferson.

Chapter 14: Carnival of Rust

Notes:

So sorry for the wait, life got majorly in the way! I'm almost done with this story and have the final chapter and the epilogue left to write. I'm looking forward to finishing this journey with everyone who may still be reading this story!

Chapter Text

Nathan Prescott tapped his foot impatiently in the rust stained dirt. The junkyard was hot, burning under the afternoon sun. The wind was refusing to blow it seemed. His face was hot and sweaty. A drop of sweat slipped under the poorly applied bandaid above his brow, the sting making him wince and curse as he wiped his brow with his letterman’s cuff. 

‘Fucker’s late. Better not flake on me. I’m the one with the super powers here, not him.’ 

As if summoned by the mere thought of the man a voice sounded off at the edge of the junkyard, “Nathan.” 

Nathan turned around. He frowned at his mentor, Mark Jefferson. He was wearing black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a white button up shirt. He had his hands folded behind his back and gave Nathan a stern unreadable expression. 

“Finally! You’re late. I told you to meet me here by eleven thirty! It’s almost noon!” 

Jefferson shrugged. “You get me when I can afford to meet you. This is very risky for me, you know that.” 

“I feel like I’m the one risking everything!” Nathan whined. “Those bitches came to my dorm and stole my shit, don’t see them coming after you.” 

Jefferson frowned, “That’s not very fair to me. I’m not the sloppy one in this relationship.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“First it was Rachel, then you were too conspicuous with Kate. Now you have too many connections to too many parts. That makes you a liability.” 

“Me?” Nathan scoffed incredulously. “I’m the fucking powerhouse here. It’s my money that’s allowing you to do whatever you want here.” 

“What I’ve wanted was to engage in my art peacefully with few noticing. You could’ve been a great asset, you could’ve even surpassed me,” Jefferson sighed in disappointment, “But we can’t erase all the mistakes we’ve made, nor can we choose our students.” 

He walked up to Nathan with a kind smile, “Don’t worry, Nathan, I will fix everything.” 

Nathan felt comforted by those words. He smiled in relief. “We’ll take care of those whores? Chloe, Vic, and Max?” 

Jefferson nodded, “I’ll solve all the problems.” He clapped a hand on Nathan’s shoulder and pressed something into his stomach. 

The moment was interrupted with a deafening blast. A raging inferno burst through Nathan’s stomach. Then three more. He felt himself stumble back as his legs wobbled. He looked down where his hands instinctively grabbed at. A pool of blood flowed into his hands. He tried to cup it, pour the life force back into his quickly chilling body. “W-what?” He stared into his teacher’s eyes, “You…” 

Jefferson smiled, not reaching his eyes. “Nobody will miss you, truthfully. You aren’t my best student, either.” 

Nathan had never faced his mortality like this. He had never been so thoroughly pushed into a corner that he had no way out. He had his, what had the three called it? A Stand? He had that, but he couldn’t control it. It never came out when he asked it to. 

Perhaps it was because he was a bad person. Maybe he deserved to die here in a place of undesired things. He was with his kind, huh? A useless, terrible thing that only harmed. That was Nathan Prescott. 

He wanted to be better. He just never knew how. People only wanted him for his money, and Jefferson was no different. The only person that was different was Rachel- 

No, it was Victoria. She was like a sister to him. Then she ditched him for Max fucking Caulfield. 

Maybe he deserved it? Max was nice, people liked her. Why? Was it because she was cute? She was, he could admit that. Hell, no wonder Victoria had followed her, she was whipped practically immediately, he could tell. 

Why didn’t he tell her he was supportive? He never thanked her for everything she did for him. He never apologized for all the shit Victoria had to put up with. Nathan never apologized for anything he did. 

He never apologized to Rachel. He glanced over to the undisturbed earth where the body was buried.

Jefferson sighed as he looked at the pistol in his gloved hand, “No, I’m not going to be so cliche as to bury you here with her. You don’t deserve to share her grave,” he spat. He leaned down to Nathan’s level, “You were always so conceited, I just can’t work with an artist that believes themselves to be so wholly superior to everyone that they make such sloppy mistakes.” He smiled dreamily, “Oh, if only it were Max. Sweet, sweet Max. She’d take the perfect pictures right now. She could capture the joy, the hope, the despair that’s all tangled together on your face right now. She could do it far more superiorly than even my own skills.” 

It was at that moment that Nathan finally wanted to be better. His therapist had always told him that he needed to want to be better and make the active choice to work towards being better that would finally be the first step to being actually better. He hadn’t known what she had meant at the time and stubbornly lashed out because of it. 

But now, here dying in the center of a junkyard with several leaking holes in his stomach, he realized the meaning of taking the first step. He planted a foot unsteadily forward towards the psychopath in front of him. 

Jefferson smiled. He pointed at Nathan, “Do you know what you always had? It was potential. Potential and drive. I see the drive now, but it’s too late for that.” He stood, aiming the gun at Nathan’s head, “It’s a shame I never got to see you use that drive with your power.” 

Nathan felt hope. He was going to stop Jefferson because the psycho didn’t have what Nathan did: he didn’t have a thing like himself or the three girls. Nathan knew he wouldn’t survive, but he wouldn’t let Jefferson get his friend. He wouldn’t let Victoria go to the Dark Room. He would avenge Chloe’s friend. He would atone for his sins against Max and Kate by trial of fire.

The name came to him before the bullet did. “Manson!” The now familiar chain wrapped arm shot out and deflected the bullet before it could hit Nathan. He coughed up blood with a red toothy smile, “I don’t think I’ll be dying alone.” 

Jefferson blinked in surprise. He fired off two more bullets, but they were no trouble for even the singular fist of Nathan’s stand, Marilyn Manson. The stand stomped into the ground sending chains to coil around Jefferson. “I think I found my potential you’ve been looking for! The shit you said was a liability? Maybe you were right! What do you know?” Nathan cackled into bloody hacks. 

“Nathan, don’t do this!” Jefferson pleaded, “It’ll be a waste-” 

The chains tore through the earth as Manson whipped Jefferson closer, “Shut up! You were only ever using me! Just like everyone else in my life. Like my father!” Manson slammed a fist into Jefferson’s stomach launching him several feet away. 

“I’m gonna kill you. I’m gonna save them.” 

Jefferson’s eyes widened. Then they grew hard. He shifted in his bindings until his camera was pointing at Nathan. “Hah! What, you think they’ll find that? Think it’ll change their minds? I’ll just-” 

The world felt distorted. It didn’t look that different, just like he was living through the lens of a camera. 

Nathan tried to widen his eyes, but they wouldn’t move. He tried to scream but his mouth would not let him. The blood was no longer spilling out of his body. His heart wasn’t even beating. ‘Am I dead?’ 

Jefferson shook the chains off casually and stood with a grimace as he held his side. “My stand is far less impressive compared to yours in most aspects,” he grunted. He admired the camera in his hand, “But Apogee certainly is the pinnacle of power amongst stands.” He smiled gently, “You aren’t dead yet, but you certainly will be.” He took another picture. He smiled at the preview, “Wonderful. I started off my career by taking pictures of animals in crude cages in slaughter houses. Most people assumed it was a statement. ‘Look at these poor animals! They’re being needlessly slaughtered!’ I took the idea and ran with it, of course.” 

Jefferson got another picture, a close up on Nathan’s face. “It was actually just a morbid curiosity. I wanted to capture the moments of a thing before its death. I wanted to capture the moment where the subject realized it would cease to live. That’s what my death row series was all about, really.” He scoffed and shook his head, “Fucking art critics.” He snapped another picture from a crouch. “I did a private series with a particularly wonderful young woman. She was infatuated with me, never really understood all that. But it was useful.” He snapped another picture with a fond smile, “She almost got away. It was the start of my career, I couldn’t let her get away.” he paused, “And I had been distracted.” 

He snapped a picture from behind Nathan. “She was so beautiful in her flight. Unfortunately, I had left my camera in the cabin, and so I couldn’t get a picture.” He reappeared in Nathan’s vision, “But my stand manifested as another type of camera, a wonderful gift I have been blessed with. I took the shot.” He took the shot. 

“It’s incredible! My stand can capture living things within a sizeable cube, freezing them like a snapshot of time.” He dropped the camera and picked up the pistol that had landed on the ground near Nathan’s feet. “Inanimate objects can enter and be within the space with no effect, same with myself. Others, however, are slowed a great deal.” He aimed the gun at Nathan’s forehead. “Allowing me the perfect shot.”

Nathan’s eyes widened slowly. Mark Jefferson gasped, “Oh!” He pulled up his camera, “Now that’s the shot! It means Apogee’s strength is waning, but that’s okay. Our time is finished anyways.” 

He cocked the hammer of the pistol, the sound of the click echoed in Nathan's ears. “Apogee refers to the peak distance between an orbiting object and the Earth. Though your stand has such great potential, you held it back far too much. Thus-” 

Nathan could feel the bullet penetrate his skull and tear through his grey matter. The last words that died in his mind were, ‘I’m sorry.’ 

Chapter 15: Death of the Artist

Summary:

Victoria Chase wakes up in a nightmare, hoping desperately to wake up.

Notes:

CONTENT WARNINGS: REFERENCED NON-CONSENSUAL NUDITY, NON-CONSENSUAL DRUGGING. VIOLENCE.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Victoria blinked lazily. She groaned, body sluggish like her blood was saturated with maple syrup. ‘God I could go for some waffles with Max right now.’ 

She forced her eyes open. Then it all came rushing back to her and closing them was no longer an option. Not when she saw the image of Max dying engraved inside her eyelids and felt the pain that came along with it. So instead she studied her surroundings. She shivered. Her clothes and a photography backdrop were the only things that separated her from the cold concrete. The fluorescent lights burned her retinas and forced shockwaves through her skull. Did Max feel-

Victoria rapidly blinked her eyes to force the thought away. No, she would not think about Max’s brains getting blown out. She wouldn’t think about it. 

She sluggishly moved her head up. There was a black leather couch with a small coffee table with a glass top in front of it. Behind where she lay there was a chair and a spark of blue hair caught her eye. Some relief washed over her. If Chloe was here, that was good. She was alive. Victoria wasn’t alone. She hadn’t lost everything yet.

Victoria knew where they were. She wanted to run, needed to run, needed to get her and Chloe out of here, but her limbs wouldn’t listen.. She could feel the vague pull of duct tape on her wrists. If she could get Cai out, she could make a knife. She could get the jump on Jefferson. But when she tried to summon Cai, she couldn’t bring her out.

Jefferson. God, she felt like an idiot. He was her hero. He was her idol. He was the one that believed in her. He taught her so much that helped her improve so much as an artist. Even as a person to a point. 

And he killed Max. He killed Victoria’s crush that she had since the fucking start of her senior year. He killed the girl Victoria had a date with this weekend. He had killed Victoria’s girlfriend. 

Victoria blinked, her eyes stinging. ‘Oh my god, I never got to ask- I…’ Tears slid down her cheeks. Everything was hitting her like a truck and she couldn’t stop it or even slow it down anymore. The momentum was slamming through any barrier she had put up instinctively. The walls she held were paper thin compared to the bullet that had struck the brunette. That moment shattered it all, crumbled her future. She had just lost Max, right as everything between them had just started. It was too soon. They hadn’t even been on a date yet. Fuck. Fuck! Victoria cried. She hated crying, it never made her feel better like other people said it did. Crying just made her feel filthy and tired and helpless and weak. Crying never solved the fact that her parents weren’t there as much as she wanted, the fact that she couldn’t trust any of the people that surrounded her, the fact that Max was gone. 

She wailed. It hurt, her heart physically hurt, like her chest was caving in on the vital organ. Victoria’s brain was a cracking dam spewing memories of a brown haired freckled wallflower. The way the photographer would latch onto her arm whenever she was nervous. And how she’d bite her bottom lip in between her beautiful pearly teeth whenever she was about to do something she didn’t wish to do. 

Max would block the whole world out when she was getting a candid photo of something. The brunette would be so lost in her head getting the perfect photo that she would fail to realize she was the subject. The best candids of Max Caulfield were when she was taking pictures. God, she was cute. The way her eyes would squint a little as her shot came into view. Then the scrunch of her nose as she pressed her finger against the shutter button. The elation in those sapphire eyes. 

Those same eyes that would be grey and dead by now. Victoria’s body was wracked with sobs. Shaking violent cries of grief. Victoria would never get another candid of Maxine Caulfield again. 

Chloe groaned. Victoria schooled herself as much as she could. “C-Chloe,” Victoria choked out. It was all she could manage to do. Words didn’t want to flow out of her throat, instead electing to get caught there on the well of tears she felt threatening to burst forth. 

Chloe stirred, “Mmmm, Vicky? The fffuuck?” she slurred her words. Her head swayed left and right as the punk tried to shake the dizziness from her brain. She glanced around, “The bunker?” 

Victoria nodded, even if Chloe couldn’t see her she hoped the punk felt the information somehow. “It was J-Jefferson. He got us.” 

“Where’s Max?” 

Victoria hated how the tears began falling in steady rivers down her cheeks, pooling on the backdrop and around her nose. But she couldn’t answer. If she tried she knew it would end, the little facade she had managed to put up. She sniffled.

Chloe sobered a little more while her body stiffened. “Victoria… where is Max?” 

But Victoria couldn’t lie. She couldn’t keep it from Chloe. Max was her best friend. ‘But she was my girlfr-’ 

The dam burst once more. She wailed. She cried. The pain of loss hit her in full force once more. It should’ve been easier, she thought. It should’ve been her, Victoria was the weaker of the three. She didn’t have the abilities or the strength to help. Max shouldn’t have died. Max was an angel and she- 

“Victoria, what do you see?” Chloe asked with a rasp. 

“What?” Victoria rasped in return. The crying was ruining her voice. Chloe was just on the verge of tears, only holding strong for Victoria’s sake. 

“Tell me some stuff you see, things you hear, anything you can feel, just keep talking to me.” 

Victoria hiccupped, but nodded. “I-I see… a couch…” 

The black leather couch. It sat there pointing towards the pair of young women. It would have been a helluva lot more comfortable than the concrete floor Victoria was unceremoniously tossed onto. 

“...a camera…” 

A Nikon D850. It was so new and definitely expensive. It was a dream camera for Victoria before. She could’ve used it to get such wonderful posed shots of Max. But now the camera would haunt her nightmares. 

“...and you? I guess?” Victoria mumbled. 

Chloe Price was in the chair. Her leather coat was missing, showing off her toned arms, or rather the singular toned arm Victoria could see from this angle. Victoria was on the ground on one side of the chair. She could only see half of Chloe. But the electric burn scars that rode up the girl’s left arm like cracks in broken glass were the most striking thing she saw. 

“Christ, your arm is ugly,” Victoria laughed. 

Chloe rolled her reddened eyes. “Yeah, yeah, your face isn’t much better,” she croaked. 

Victoria smiled weakly in return, “That was weak and you know it.” 

Chloe shrugged. “Things you hear?” 

Victoria was starting to pull it together and she realized what Chloe was trying to do for her. Victoria wasn’t fine, she knew that, she didn’t know if she’d ever be, but she was functional, at least. It was all she could be in this moment. But why was Chloe wanting to continue? 

Then she saw Chloe trembling. She was barely there. Somehow she had kept both of them from teetering off the edge into the abyss of madness. So, she continued.

“I hear… music…” 

It was classical. Typical for someone so conceited. Derek Chase often listened to Beethoven or Mozart in his home office before calling his daughter in to scold her for all the things he believed she needed to be. Victoria shook her head free of the memories of self deprecation that always followed when she thought of her parents. 

“...rain…” 

Max had said there’d be a storm. How had she known? Victoria didn’t know. 

“...Max warned me about it. I forgot about that,” Chloe whispered. She turned her head as far as she could, attempting to look Victoria in her eyes. As she did, the blonde caught sight of a nasty gash under some of her blue locks. “A tornado is gonna destroy Arcadia Bay. Wipe us all off the fucking map, I guess.” 

“How?” Victoria breathed. 

Chloe shrugged, “I dunno. We got so caught up looking for Rach that we never tried to find out.” Chloe sighed ruefully as she faced forward again. She stared out into an unseen horizon as a tear finally spilled onto her cheek as she whispered, “...if we didn’t look for Rachel Max would still be-” 

“I hear, uhm, the fluorescent lights! My breathing, my voice, the crinkle of the tape-” 

Anything but the sound of Max’s brains splattering across an old car. Anything but the sound of Chloe Price losing everything wailing into a fucking dungeon under a barn owned by the Prescott family. When Victoria found Nathan she was going to kill him. She couldn’t be sad yet, not when he and Jefferson were still out there. 

She stilled. She pressed her ear into the concrete. There was only the sound of a torrential downpour hitting the ground surrounding the barn. Whatever was happening out there with the rest of the world, it was bad. Two moons, freak snow, the eclipse that happened after Victoria left Wells’s office on Tuesday, the beached whales, all of the scuffed weather shit this week was leading to the storm? Where had it come from? Was it Max’s powers? They were different from Cai or Thunderstruck’s powers. Or was it another stand user? 

She forced her eyes shut and focused on breathing. ‘No time to think about this right now.’ “I feel… cold…” 

The smooth concrete beneath the backdrop she was placed upon filled her with a chill. The chill was just as unnatural as the concrete itself was, and caused by the same man that put her there. 

“I feel naked without my jacket,” Chloe laughed nervously, “...David was the one that wrapped it, and apparently it would’ve scarred worse if he didn’t.” Chloe looked towards the exit forlornly, “Fuck, I wish he was here.” 

Victoria’s heart dropped. Nobody knew they were here. She hadn’t texted anyone before they had gone to the junkyard. They were alone. They had to fight Jefferson and Nathan alone. Tears started to fall down her cheeks once again. 

There was a subtle click through the stone, one Victoria recognized. It was a sound that filled her with a cold splash of fear. The large steel shelter door squeaked open, only audible to the blonde as the sound of the music masked external noises extremely well. 

Mark Jefferson pushed through the curtain. He approached the desk at the back of the room and began clicking away at the keyboard. 

“Hey, I know you! You’re that fucker Rach wouldn’t shut up about,” Chloe snarled. 

Jefferson smirked, “Oh yes, Ms. Price. I had forgotten your… colourful vocabulary.” He pressed a few keys before moving over towards the couch and sitting down. “It’s been quite some time since we’ve truly seen each other, and we never formally met when you attended Blackwell.” 

Chloe huffed, “Yeah, I wonder why.” 

Despite the punk’s antagonizing Jefferson remained polite and calm. “I would say it was due to our differing fields, you being a woman of science while I was an artist.” 

“You’re a sick fucking bastard, you and Nathan,” Chloe sneered venomously. 

Jefferson nodded with a smaller smile, “Ah yes, Nathan Prescott. Such a shame, he really had talent. Especially in those final moments when he finally had full control over his stand.” 

Victoria’s gaze met Chloe’s. Chloe prodded gently, “So Nathan is-” 

Jefferson nodded and stated matter-of-factly, “Oh, dead, just as you wanted. He’s been dead since this afternoon.” 

“So-” 

“This will take forever,” Jefferson rolled his eyes. He continued with a bored long winded breath, “I killed Nathan because he had been sloppy, especially with Rachel and Kate. He led you and your friends straight to my studio with his actions. I was hoping he could deal with you, but no, he couldn’t deal his way out of an amateur poker table. Instead that brings us to here, to now: the two of you in my favourite series.” 

“Rachel and Kate, what did you two do to them?” Chloe growled. 

Jefferson looked regretful, but not in a way that held any feeling. It was more like he was a friend of a friend at a funeral, no actual connection to the loss of those around him but he still knew that the appropriate thing to say was ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ “Losing Rachel was a terrible thing, and entirely Nathan’s fault. He underdosed her prior to the shoot, and when she woke up during the shoot he overdosed her.” He shrugged casually, “Probably would have still needed to kill her, just to make sure she couldn’t spill anything she possibly witnessed and may have remembered. Kate was an improvement on Nathan’s skills with administering a sedative, but his execution of getting her here was subpar and disruptive.” 

“Why them?” Chloe floundered, “T-they didn’t do anything!” 

“Rachel had done plenty,” Jefferson corrected. “As for Ms. Marsh? Her innocence was the point.” He stood and grabbed one of the red binders from the filing cabinet, bringing it back and placing it on the table facing Chloe. Victoria could see the disgust on Chloe’s face and was glad she was on the ground.

Victoria felt colder, but it was a comfortable chill. She could summon her stand, but if Nathan was the strongest stand user the trio had faced yet and Jefferson had killed him? Jefferson had a stand, but he hadn’t shown it yet. Victoria needed to be discreet, hopefully Chloe could distract him long enough for her to form a blade of ice and cut through her restraints. 

“Innocence is something so easily lost in models. The industry is filled with sick individuals-” 

Chloe interrupted, “Like you?” 

Jefferson chuckled with a nod, “Exactly, just like me. Except, I have the decency to pretend to care about my models and give them good benefits.” 

“Or you’re smart enough to buy them off.” Chloe nodded towards the binder of the very clearly drugged naked woman, “This shit is pretty fucking sick, and not in the way I usually mean.” 

Jefferson showed emotion finally. He shot out of his seat and slapped Chloe, “How dare you! You self-made troglodyte, what makes you credible to critique my work? Hm? This is the best work I’ve ever shot, possibly the best anyone has ever shot.” 

Chloe sucked hard on her bottom lip and spat at the binder, “I like Max’s work better.” 

He was still for a moment. The fires were building in Jefferson’s eyes. Then he grabbed Chloe’s hair and began to repeatedly slam her face into his knee. When he let her go her movements were sluggish, dazed. Her nose was at an unnatural angle and her face was awash with blood. Droplets from her nose pooled in her lap. 

Jefferson sighed. “Look at what you made me do. These pants are ruined.” He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her face up to meet his gaze, “As for Max, it’s your fault she is dead. She would be my finest work yet. But she had to save you,” he growled as his grip tightened. He let go of the punk’s hair and retook his seat on the couch. 

“Wha… wha do you mean…?” Chloe slurred. 

Jefferson smiled brightly, “Ah, Maxine Caulfield, er, Max Caulfield. She was the best student I’ve ever had.” He stood and approached the cabinet. From within he pulled out a bottle of amber liquid and a shot glass before retaking his seat. 

He poured himself a shot and knocked it back. “Ah, she would’ve found the taste disingenuous,” he hummed. He looked back towards Chloe with disdain, “Max Caulfield could find those moments where someone revealed their inner selves and could frame and capture it. She never took my picture, but I’m sure if she had she would’ve captured every sin I’ve committed. She brought the potential out of people, she could always see it. I wanted to capture that innocence of hers, such that I have with every other subject of mine. She was…” He sighed lovingly, “...she was beautiful.”

“I must say when I spotted the two of you together-” he nodded towards Victoria, “-I was quite jealous. To have her so devoted to you felt like a waste. Your soul, your very being is tainted, just like yours,” he nodded to Chloe. “You led her astray, a beautiful sheep only needing to be shorn and reveal her true naked glory. You led her to her death like the butcher. You are a butcher.” 

“Where did you bury her?” Victoria found her voice asking without thinking. The blade of ice was hidden from his view and she had ceased her cutting. She was close to being free. 

Jefferson gave her a pitying glance, “Alongside Rachel, of course. My prized subjects, one taken from us too soon by the actions of the reckless.” His gaze shifted to a glare aimed at Chloe. “I’ve tried, you know. To find what Max had seen in you. Perhaps she felt indebted to you? That she owed her life to you?” 

Chloe shook her head, “Nah, she saved my ass more than I can count.” 

Jefferson raised an eyebrow, “Then perhaps she saw you as useful? Nathan said your stand was strong, especially with the electricity powers, perhaps that was it.” 

Chloe smirked, “Nope,” she popped the p. 

“Then it must have been-” Jefferson began to raise his voice. 

“She was human,” Chloe answered simply. Jefferson waited for Chloe to continue. “Max was human. She felt for people. You don’t, and that’s why you don’t see value in me. But you’re right, she saw something. Wanna know what I think it is?” 

Jefferson leaned in closer, gesturing for her to continue, “Please, I would love to know your esteemed opinion.” 

“She knew I’d kill you. And I fucking will.” Chloe spat in Jefferson’s face, splattering blood over his glasses. 

He stumbled back, tripping into the couch. He tore his glasses off and roared, “You insignificant worm! You were a difficult enough subject before, I won’t waste my time anymore!” He stormed off through the curtain. The sound of a sink running carried through the Dark Room. 

As soon as the curtain closed behind him Victoria tore through the tape around her wrists. She couldn’t move her lower half, yet, but Cai didn’t need her to. Cai floated over to Chloe and sliced openings in the tape trapping her to the chair. Chloe made to stand but Cai shook her head. Chloe’s eyes widened before she nodded. Cai faded away as Victoria put her wrists back together. 

A few seconds later Jefferson returned. He was wiping his glasses’ lenses with a dry microfiber cloth. “I must apologize to you, Ms. Price. I had lost my temper, but I do believe we have reached the end of our session.” 

He pulled a small cart from beside the curtain. It held a couple of vials of clear liquid. Victoria recognized it as a sedative she had found on the crates earlier that afternoon. Or yesterday afternoon, the realization that time was unknown was terrifying. 

Jefferson pulled the cart closer and plucked a syringe off the tray. He plunged the needle into the bottle’s top and drew the plunger back. 

“You won’t get away with any of this!” Chloe shouted and struggled convincingly in the chair. 

“Don’t struggle, it’ll only risk injuring yourself further than your recklessness already has.” Jefferson pulled out the syringe and flicked the needle, flinging some droplets away. He placed a gloved hand on Chloe’s neck. 

Victoria was ready to summon Cai to blast Jefferson with the sharpest icicles that Cai could create when the curtain pulled back. “Freeze!” 

Victoria wondered for a moment if David Madsen was a stand user. How had he found them? The idea flew out the window when he brought his pistol into a readied stance. It was pointed and his finger was on the trigger. 

But Jefferson was clever. He jumped behind Chloe, using her as cover, with the metal syringe jabbed into her neck, “Mr. Madsen, surprised to see you here!” 

“Let her go, Jefferson, you’re done.” 

Jefferson tsked, “Your step daughter here is in quite the tricky bind. You’re liable to shoot her, you know.” 

“Get fucked, limpdick!” Chloe cursed as a vein leading from her left hand all the way up her arm to the metal needle embedded in her neck glowed electric blue and zapped through the syringe. Jefferson cursed and recoiled. Victoria tore the tape away from her wrists and ankles while Chloe stumbled out of the chair. Thunderstruck tore the syringe out of Chloe's neck and sent it crashing against the wall. Chloe’s arm was still sizzling as she and David descended on him, “You killed Rachel, and you killed Max. Beg for mercy, get your last words out.” 

“Say cheese,” Jefferson said as a camera appeared in his hand. He clicked the shutter, capturing David and Chloe. There was a distortion of light around the stepfather and daughter. The air was different, like a physical filter on a photograph. Jefferson was ignoring Victoria as he spoke, “Nathan was much the same in his final moments, you know? Confused and angry. I’m waiting for you to realize you’re going to die.” 

Victoria fired a blast of ice shards in her teacher’s direction. He cursed and dove behind the couch. Victoria stood, “You could do that, freeze us, and you didn’t use it to stop Max from being shot!?” 

Jefferson scrambled towards the cabinet and used the door as a shield as Cai threw a handful of ice daggers at the metal. Each pierced, but almost all of them failed to draw blood. All save for one. He cursed as he held his bleeding stub where his pinkie once was. “Damn you!” he shouted from behind the door. Victoria wondered if he was still close enough that her stand could throw daggers into the door and injure him further. 

It was worth a shot. Cai threw as many daggers as she could, relishing the blood that spurted here and there from the metal holes. “Chloe made it pretty fucking clear that we don’t care, I think.” 

A thunderous bang crashed against her ears with a concussive force slamming into her shoulder throwing her in a spin to the ground. She screamed when the shoulder came into a bloody collision with the ground. 

“You were always quantity over quality, Victoria,” Jefferson shook his head as he made his way towards her with a slight limp, bloody clothes, and a handgun aimed at her. He smiled saccharinely, “You were always flirting, anything to get ahead of your competitors. What a whore.” He laughed, “You know, if Max had made an offer to me, I simply wouldn’t have been able to resist. Your offers were always disingenuous, but Max? Oh she would never make an offer she wouldn’t follow through on. Did it feel good to corrupt her with your influence and your tainted touch?” 

Blue electricity arced across the room hitting Jefferson in the chest. He spasmed, and the gun fired. The bullet embedded in the concrete by Victoria’s head, making her jump. She looked up towards the source of the attack and gasped. 

The room smelt like burnt hair and skin. Chloe’s untattooed arm was red and raw with several black sections. The arm looked boiled, and the blue haired punk was crying, but she still stood upright and kept her gaze trained on the man. “Get her name outta your mouth, fucker.” She threw her arm to the side sending out Thunderstruck to shove David away from her. Thunderstruck’s once silver left arm was now charred black and immobile. “Surround him! He can only take one picture at a time!” 

Victoria pushed herself up with a struggle as Cai prepared a few more knives. Chloe took a shuddering step towards Jefferson. David trained his pistol on Jefferson, but was staring at Chloe’s arm with worry. “Chloe, you need-” 

“Not now!” Chloe countered, keeping her eyes trained on Jefferson. 

Victoria watched the man silently. She never could have guessed he would truly be like this. The only time he was ever anything but nice and patient was with Kate- Her eyes widened, “You wanted Kate to kill herself…” 

A smile spread across Jefferson’s face that could rival the devil’s evil. “It would’ve been easy on all parties. Her torment would end, her friends would blame guilty parties, and the grime residing on the edges of this town might have been finally revealed and reviled, as you should have been.” 

Chloe growled, “I’m gonna enjoy killing you for hurting an angel like that. Gonna fuckin fry you like you deserve to fry in hell!” 

“Chloe, your arm-” David began. 

Chloe snapped her head at him and snarled, “Shut up! Not now-” 

Victoria had been a second too slow. Jefferson snapped a picture of David and ducked behind him. The dagger of ice Cai threw grazed the teacher’s thigh, but she didn’t have a clear shot of him when a new dagger was ready. “You sonuvabitch!” Victoria screeched. 

Jefferson cackled as he placed the barrel of his gun at the base of David’s skull, “Well, well, another gift bestowed upon me! Lady Luck smiles her bounty upon me!” 

Victoria waited tensely. Chloe scoffed and spoke the two girls’ thoughts aloud, “You can’t keep that stupid bubble up forever. Eventually, it’ll be over and you won’t be able to hide behind him anymore.” 

Jefferson only smiled at that, “Oh, I only need one more picture.” 

Victoria frowned. “Chloe, we need to end this.” 

“Or else he’ll take a picture that can capture all of us as long as we’re all in frame, I know,” Chloe grimaced, “I’m thinking.” 

“Chloe, do you know the movie Speed with Keanu Reeves?” Victoria asked. 

Chloe slowly looked at the blonde, “...what the fuck are you talking about? Why are we talking about the movie that had Sandra Bullock serving?” 

Victoria had Cai make an ice spear, “In Speed the villain loves taking hostages. One of them is Keanu’s police partner. ‘The best way to deal with a hostage situation is to take the hostage out of the equation.’” 

Thunderstruck caught Cai by the wrist. Chloe shook her head and snarled, “You’re not throwing a spear and killing my stepdad because you can’t figure out a better plan!” 

“He’s gonna shoot David as soon as the effect ends and then capture us!” Victoria argued as Cai tore her wrist from Thunderstruck’s grip, “we don’t have infinite attempts here! We have one chance where he can’t escape! My stand isn’t strong enough to throw this spear through David to kill Jefferson, but yours-” 

“I’M NOT KILLING MY DAD!” Chloe screamed. She stared into David’s eyes. They were closing, slowly. The effect was ending soon. 

“Chloe, we’re running out of time!” 

“You are,” Jefferson snarked, “but are you really willing to kill your stepfather just to kill me? That’d make you a murderer… just like me.” 

Thunderstruck snatched the ice spear out of Cai’s hands and aimed it at David’s chest. Dead center would kill them both, but it would for sure get Jefferson. It would end the man that killed the two most important people in her life, and it would stop him from taking away anyone else. He would likely go after Kate if he managed to kill Chloe and her both. Chloe couldn’t let Kate get hurt. 

She pulled the spear back and Victoria saw the tears clouding Chloe’s vision. Luckily Thunderstruck used its eyes to aim, but that meant Chloe could still see her stepfather’s face. She sobbed, “I’m sorry, David…” 

His eyes were closed. He looked peaceful. He had accepted his end. Victoria looked away, past them. She didn’t want to watch Chloe have to do this, but she needed to be able to keep an eye on Jefferson in case he made any moves- 

Victoria’s eyes locked onto the grey hoodie. It had blood on it, of course it did. The moment replayed in her mind and she recoiled. “You sick bastard… you stripped her!?” 

“Who?” There was a shuffle of movement behind David. “How did that get here?” 

The jacket shuffled. It moved

‘What the fuck?’ Victoria thought as Cai prepared another volley of ice shards. 

The hood rose. It filled in, along with the sleeves. Something was wearing the jacket

“Victoria?” Chloe asked. 

“Beats me,” Victoria murmured. 

“Could this be another gift?” Jefferson sneered. The two girls’ hearts dropped at that. 

But then the jacket lifted fully revealing a black print t-shirt, faded skinny jeans, and black converse. Hands came up and lifted the hood off revealing a brown messy bob of hair framed around freckles and blue eyes and a sly smile. 

“M-Max?”

Notes:

My apologies for how late this chapter was posted! I'm still getting back into the swing of things with AO3 and my classes ensure I am quite busy. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to post a chapter this Friday!

Chapter 16: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Summary:

When a door closes a window opens...

Notes:

CONTENT WARNINGS: DRUGGINGS, VIOLENCE, REFERENCED NON-CONSENSUAL NUDITY, IMPLIED ASSAULT, JEFFERSHIT. SPOILERS FOR JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

<~~~~

 

Monochrome. A photograph composed of either only black and white or a singular colour. 

Max Caulfield’s vision is a blurred monochrome photo. Max has wanted to do a monochrome polaroid for a while now. She wants to capture the blur of colours in front of her, but she can’t move. ‘What… Where…?’

Max shakes awake. Her vision clears a bit, but the crashing pain within her skull, a vice constricting her brain, only grows worse. The lenses of her eyes come into focus as the seconds drag on and her heart falls as she realizes where she is. ‘The Dark Room…’ 

She glances around a bit more. The room has its brutal concrete minimalism. Crates are scattered around, a tray is next to the chair she is taped to. Her bag, her journal, a vial of clear liquid and a syringe, and a red binder. ‘Oh my god… oh my god, oh my god!’ 

“Is anybody out there? Please, help!” Max cries weakly. A loud thundering boom shuddered the ground. Max wonders what time it is. Is it Friday? Is the tornado in Arcadia Bay yet? 

Max’s mind drifts towards her best friend. The memory of Chloe Price’s skull pierced through by a bullet from the gun held by her favourite teacher. ‘How did I not notice? How?’ 

There is a groan behind her. Max looks over her shoulder the best that she can. A salmon pink button up with a black skirt and black pantyhose with black dress shoes. ‘Victoria? Oh god, Jefferson got her too… this is bad…’ 

“V-Victoria?” Max coughs. Her headache is worsening. “Victoria!” 

Victoria groans more. “MmmmmMax? Whasat?” 

“Victoria, I need you to wake up, please,” Max pleads. Her headache is getting so bad it’s making her nauseous. Her head felt like an egg with a baby chick trying to break free. Sweat is dripping down her forehead. 

“Where… where are we…” Victoria slurs. She is still rousing herself. “Max? What happened?” 

Max opens her mouth, ready to answer. Jefferson got them, and shot Chloe. Lured them out posing as Nathan. He had killed Rachel. He had captured Victoria and herself and taken them to the Dark Room. 

But she can’t get the words out, the thoughts are fading to the background. Memories are being pushed out of the way to make room for pain as her brain swells in her cramped skull. 

“Max!? Max!” Victoria is screaming. 

Max is screaming. The pain is too great. She wants to die, she feels like she is dying. She struggles in her restraints. It hurts, her brain wants to be free. 

Her vocal chords are shredding her throat apart like a barbed whip striking the naked back. Her screams echo and reverberate against the brutal concrete walls. She wants to apologize to Victoria, she can’t use her rewind to save her from this place if she’s dead. The pressure is growing to a point of no return. Max feels her skull giving way. She distantly hears Victoria is sputtering trying to soothe the brunette, but the pain is so great the only thing she can hear is the blood surging through her head. 

 

And then all at once, it ends. The whole is gone, the past is remembered properly. The napkin is on the table, all Max must do is pluck it and take the initiative. 

 

Max raises her head and blinks the tears away. The salty brine drops into her bloodstained lap, falling on top of the droplets of blood that were cascading from her nose just moments prior. 

“Max? P-please say something…” Victoria sounds terrified. 

Of course she does, this isn’t Victoria. ‘At least, not mine.’ “I’m fine, just a bit of a nosebleed,” Max Caulfield states calmly. She looks around the room, reexamining the room with a renewed look on the world around her. She knows this place is different, she can feel that truth in her bones, the bones that originated from this timeline, but she can no longer differentiate the two worlds in her mind. 

The memories from the Prime timeline, the one where her Victoria and Chloe were right now, had practically fully melted over the ones that were there originally. A haunting prospect, losing herself so completely, and yet she feels she hadn’t. She has grown to be more. She wasn’t afraid of this place anymore. She knew exactly what her stand was now. It had shown her enough of the memories. 

She turns in the uncomfortable chair, giving Victoria a comforting, calming smile. “You’re going to be okay, Victoria. I’m just getting my bearings.” 

“But what about the screaming and the fucking blood!?” 

Max shakes her head, “Just a side effect, an epiphenomenon.” 

“A what?” Victoria sobs, “Great, I’m gonna die with the hipster that had a psychotic break!” 

Max chuckles, the very idea of her being broken by something like this is laughable now. She has seen Chloe die a thousand more times now. She has seen her best friend crushed, crippled, murdered, and more. She has seen her dear friend Kate die due to Max’s failures to get to know her. She herself has been the cause of pain and destruction for many from the minor temporary injury during skateboarding to the assault in the dorms to an ordered murder. But all of it was in the pursuit of a good end. 

Max set a grim look of determination on her face, “Everything will be just fine, Victoria. I promise.” She knows what must happen. She finds herself eager. 

The shelter door loudly opens and closes. Moments later the curtain pulls aside and reveals the man Max had idolized. Now? 

“Ah, Max, you’re awake!” Jefferson smiles sweetly. He walks over and caresses her cheek. She doesn’t move, only grits her teeth and smirks. Jefferson frowns, “You look awfully pleased with yourself, Max, care to share with the rest of the class?” 

Max huffs a laugh, “Nothing, just thinking about something someone once said. ‘In terms of war it comes down to one move.’” 

Jefferson removes his hand. He pauses for a moment before slapping the girl. “...you aren’t Max, what happened to the doe eyed girl full of innocence?” He growls, “That blue haired punk, she corrupted you, didn’t she?” 

Max giggles. She shakes her head, “Oh, Mr. Jefferson, it isn’t that I was changed by one person or one experience, it was many.” 

She lets the strings of time wrap around her arms and legs. They are familiar now. They stretch through each one that came before. Her stand pushes forward as the strands pull back. It aches for freedom after being buried for so long in different Max Caulfields and the ones who came before. It will be free today. 

The tension is gone in an instant. The tape goes easily, torn to pieces as the thing it’s trapping is finally freed. 

“What just happened!? How did you-” Jefferson is stumbling back, knocking the back of his knees against the table. 

Max stands and clasps her hands together, “I used to hold you in such high regard. You were the reason I came to Arcadia Bay, to Blackwell.” She approaches one of the grotesque paintings on the walls, one of the few sources of colour in this dark place. She examines it with a critical eye. 

The young Alice trapped in Wonderland has had her throat slit, the internal chords and blood vessels spilling forth. Max sighs sadly at the painting. This is the work Jefferson prefers, has always preferred. 

“I saw your piece, Of Rice and Men, at an art museum in Seattle when I was fifteen. I was so enamoured with how you captured the man working in that field. His sweat glistened in the noon sun, showing his hard work.” 

Jefferson rushes to the cabinet and procures his firearm. He whirls it towards the brunette. Victoria barely screams before the shot goes off, the bullet flying to the back of the messy brown bob. 

The bullet is deflected, of course. This Jefferson has no idea who she is anymore. Max isn’t entirely sure who she is anymore. “What!? How!” Jefferson fires a few more shots, but Max’s stand is too fast, too strong. He cannot see it. This version, and most versions of him it would seem, are not stand users. 

“I can see what you wanted to capture, of course,” Max strokes a phantom frame of the photo that she chases in her dreams sometimes. “You wanted to capture his suffering, his wasted efforts. But you failed.” She turns around and sets her fiery eyes upon him now, “I only ever saw his raw determination. The fruits of his efforts. The people he worked hard for. He suffered so others didn’t have to.” She smiles and laughs, “I guess I took that to heart, huh?” She shakes her head, “Doesn’t matter. It’ll all be over soon.” 

Jefferson fruitlessly fires more bullets. A swift fist deflects each bullet. Max marches closer, each step another failed attempt on her life. Then she is within two meters. Then it doesn’t matter what Mark Jefferson does. He is already dead. 

She rushes him. His gun uselessly clicks, the firing pin striking dull unmoving metal. This Jefferson hid behind Nathan to do the dirty work, similarly to how Max had hidden behind others to hopefully make the hard decisions she couldn’t. No more. 

Jefferson gags and chokes as the stand’s fist goes through his abdomen, tearing bone and sinew mercilessly. He vomits blood all over Max’s arm. She can’t even be disgusted anymore, not with the memories of thousands of Max Caulfields all suffering similar fates and bearing witness to Chloe’s even worse ones. The gun clatters to the ground out of his limp hand. 

Max eyes it. The cold steel. Something unfeeling and not living. It doesn’t feel death, the deaths it causes. “I wish… I wish I had the power to make you suffer. Force every version of you to suffer.” 

Her brain is on fire again and she further remembers her stand’s abilities. Discoveries made from the one that came before, her distant ancestor. Max feels a smile tug at the corners of her lips. “I never asked to have a stand. Never asked to inherit one from an evil man, a man similar to you.” The stand’s fist twists in Jefferson’s gut. He makes agonized gags and wheezes. Max shrugs indifferently, “But I guess this experience, all of these experiences give me that unique perspective you praised me for so early in the week. Or were you the one that said the John Lennon quote?” She laughed, “All of these different memories of different me’s is all a jumbled mess. Their wills weren’t strong in the end. Mine? The one that was passed down when you shot me in the junkyard?” She smiles and pulls the stand’s fist out while the other hand grabs the man by the throat. 

“Well, I’m done with fate choosing for me. I’m done with things out of my control.” 

The next moments were a shower of gore and viscera as Max’s stand came out in full force and used all of its strength to beat the middle aged predator into a pile of bloody sludge. 

When Max blinked she was covered in hot sticky blood and bits of cartilage mixed with bone fragments. Her clothes were ruined, but that was ultimately fine. She could always find more. 

But first, she had to deal with the rest of Jefferson. All of them. 

There was screaming, sobbing, crying. Max turned. Victoria was shrinking away, trying to escape. Max sighed softly, “I’m sorry you saw that, Victoria. I really am. It had to happen, though.” Max plucks her hoodie from the couch. She winces. There’s blood on it. That will never get out. She puts it on anyway. She felt cold now. 

“Stay here until the storm is gone, Victoria. You’ll be alright. I’ll make sure someone comes and gets you.” 

With that, Max Caulfield goes through the curtain out into the world, born anew. 

 

~~~~>

 

Max Caulfield was alive, and standing right there. She was wearing her stupid little smug smile she wore when she had won at something, too. It pissed Victoria Chase off, usually. She hated losing. But her girlfriend was back. How could she be upset? Her girlfriend was back! 

Victoria couldn’t get any words out, a knot had tied itself into her throat and was blocking all dialogue that wanted to spill forth like a raging river. So many things she wanted to say. Sonnets on Max’s beauty and kindness, a love song about her messy brown hair and how that was a symbol of her free spirit, a thesis on her stupid cocky little smirk that radiated everything she was. That little shirt of that silly duck- 

Victoria froze. It was different. ‘What the fuck is Ducktective?’ 

Chloe narrowed her eyes, “She’s shorter…” she murmured quietly enough that only Victoria could hear. 

“You… you were dead… I buried you!” Jefferson shouted as he turned the camera on Max and snapped a picture with his stand.  

Victoria’s eyes widened. With David freed, he whirled around with his gun, “You sick, crazy bastard! Must not’ve been thorough enough since she was the one that called me and led me out here!” 

“How-” Chloe and Jefferson began. 

“Easy, I dialed his number!” Max said from behind the desk. She was wearing torn flannel shirts and torn black jeans. Victoria had to do a triple take. At first it was Rachel, then it was Max Caulfield wearing Rachel’s clothes, then it was finally Max with long hair in Rachel’s clothes with eyeshadow. She was checking her nails, “I wouldn’t expect the dinosaur pedophile to get it, but Chloe I thought you were more tech savvy.” She looked up at the punk and smirked, “Maybe my Chloe is just smarter.” 

Chloe recoiled and sent Thunderstruck in front of herself defensively, “What is this…?” 

“An attack from an enemy stand?” Victoria suggested while Cai charged an ice blast. “David, come over here! Get away from Max and Jefferson!” 

David looked conflicted, that is until a Max wearing an outfit similar to Kate’s came through the curtain, “Don’t worry, Mr. Madsen, we will handle things from here.” 

The couch upended, the back hitting the floor. Victoria gasped. A group of about ten Max Caulfields pulled themselves out of the floor. There was no hole, it was like they were shifting through the solid concrete. “What. The. Fuck.” 

David joined the two girls as they slowly retreated towards the backdrop. He was training his gun on all of the Maxs, frantically switching between each one. “W-What is happening… can she duplicate herself or something?” 

Victoria shook her head. Chloe answered, “Her only power is summoning some hands and rewinding time!” 

Jefferson tried to shoot one of the Maxs, but another kicked him in the leg. One punched him in the face, another snatched the gun from him. Duck Max became uncaptured as Jefferson lost focus and couldn’t hold his stand’s power anymore. “Hey! Careful! She told us no killing!” 

Jefferson was doubled over on his hands and knees, coughing from several of the Maxs kicking him in the stomach. Rachel Max stomped on Jefferson’s right hand that was missing a pinkie with a heavy boot, “She didn’t say he had to be in one piece, though.” 

“I wouldn’t want to upset her, you saw what she was like,” Kate Max nervously rubbed her arm. 

“What the fuck is happening!?” Victoria screamed. She was going crazy. This was all a dream, a nightmare. Something Victoria’s mind conjured to punish her for not going to sleep sooner. Something she’d wake up from and find Max in her bed. 

Beneath her feet the backdrop shuffled. She jumped back with a squeak, Chloe and David following suit. 

The white sheet’s edge lifted, a head and shoulders creating a white mound from behind the edge. A bloody hand clawed out, pulling the torso behind it forward. A new Max, one covered head to toe in blood and viscera. As soon as her body was out she stretched. Moaning in gratitude as her spine popped and crackled. She released a content sigh. Then with a cold voice, “Restrain him.” 

The Other Maxs sprung into action. They grabbed his limbs, kneeled on the backs of his legs, held his head up by his hair. Jefferson looked terrified. When his eyes landed on the Bloody Max they bugged out in terror. He whispered barely audibly, “...I killed you…” 

The Bloody Max sat down on the table, leaving a bloody imprint of her jeans on the glass. She nodded, “You did. You shot me… in the head. Dead on arrival. But-” She glanced around, finding Thunderstruck and Cold As Ice behind her she sighed in relief and visibly relaxed, “-well, my stand is special.” She gave a small wave to the group, “Hey Victoria, hey Chloe!” She nodded towards David, “Thanks for coming so fast, I needed you to buy time for me while I set this up.” 

“Max?” Victoria’s voice broke, “Is that… are you-” 

Max nodded, “Y-yeah, mostly. I have all the memories of every Max that’s ever died, and the guy who used to have my stand.” 

Chloe quirked an eyebrow, “What are you talking about, Max?” 

Max lightly smacked her forehead, “Oh, duh! Sorry, let me explain.” 

The figure that came out of Max was humanoid. Victoria realized that this was Max’s stand, she finally got to see it. It was a thin lithe figure with well defined muscles. It was mostly blue with pink accents, and it had deer antlers. 

[Image for stand, the website is acting up]

“This is my stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Requiem, I guess. D4C for short. It lets me manipulate the weave between different timelines.” She drummed her fingers on her knees as she gathered her words, “...it belonged to a bad person before. He was killed by another stand user, eventually eliminating him from all timelines. To survive, the stand began latching onto any suitable family members, but they could never utilize it really. It laid dormant, until it got to me.” 

She looked up, “D4C has changed a lot. It used to be able to use the corpse to become literally unbeatable, but that morphed into time travel. I can send unwanted moments away, off into different timelines of infinity.” She smiled, “Bad things happening to bad people, that’s what I want, and it provides.” 

Max stood up and reached into her back pocket, “Killing Jefferson isn’t satisfying. It isn’t satisfying enough for what he did to those girls.” D4C glowed in power, and Max gained an identical pink flame-like aura, “What he did to me. He needs to be erased, creatures like him need to be erased.” 

She pulled something out of her back pocket and Victoria’s hand clasped over her mouth to hold back the gasp of disgust. A finger covered with a black latex glove. “For once, I’ll teach you something, Jefferson.” 

Max approached slowly, like a wolf stalking its prey. Jefferson struggled weakly in the grasps of his captors. Max examined the bloody severed finger. “This is your right pinkie. Not from this timeline, but it is the same object. But nothing can exist as itself in the same place at the same time, that’s a paradox.” She eyed the cabinet with the holes and blood. Then, she held the severed finger towards it. 

Victoria watched with bated breath. Whatever had happened to Max following her death made her terrifying. 

The finger on the floor, the one Victoria knew she had severed, began to twitch. Then, small cubes floated off of it, towards the finger Max was holding. But cubes were also flying off of that finger as well… 

Max let go of the finger she was holding and everyone watched as the two fingers rolled towards each other, like magnets. The volatile cubes flew off more violently into each other and dissolved faster and faster until there were no fingers left. “Menger Sponges, cubes that lose their centers. They are a broken down thing, and this happens when two of the same thing come into contact. Based on my experience, the item is destroyed from then on out in other timelines as well.” 

Max walked over to the cabinet and closed the door in on herself. The door swung open and there was no Max, just the bloody outline of her. 

“What the fuck!?” Chloe cursed, “I know stands can be confusing and shit, but-” 

“It’s like, alternate timelines and alternate universes, I don’t know!” Victoria ran a hand through her hair. “Do you think… do you think our Max will come back?” 

“Are you sure that isn’t her?” David asked. The girls turned to him with questioning glances. “It’s her eyes, that determination. It’s her, it’s the one that knows the two of you, at least.” 

The backdrop moved again, and Max returned. But she wasn’t alone. 

“What are you doing, Maxine!? Let go!” There was another Jefferson. He had salt and pepper hair and had a goatee rather than a short rough beard. D4C was dragging him out as he struggled. 

Max had D4C pull the man over the upturned couch. The same effect of the fingers began to happen to the Jeffersons. Both cried out in pain, begging the Maxs for help. Begged Victoria, begged Chloe, and begged David for help. 

“Menger sponges, Warren finds them really interesting,” she shrugged as cubes of flesh floated from the mirrored men. Blood splattered and disappeared into a cloud of misty cubes, continuously dividing and growing smaller. “I think this is what half lives are, right? I’m not sure, I’m pretty terrible at chem despite Ms. Grant’s best efforts. 

The legs were gone by now. It was too slow for the brunette. She pushed the man she restrained closer to his copy and grit her teeth at his gurgled cries of pain brought to mind the lives of less fortunate Maxs and Chloes. “This is for all of the women you took advantage of,” the waist was pulling apart. “This is for Kate, for using her and throwing her away!” The rest of the fingers were going at this point. “This is for Chloe,” the hands, “this is for Victoria,” the arms and the stomach, “for Rachel!” 

D4C’s arms slipped with the missing shoulders. It grabbed the back of Jefferson’s head in a vice, feeling the bones forming cracks under the pressure. “This… this is for what you did to me.” She slammed the head of the man she was holding into the head of the other. There was a ghastly crunch as the cartilage and bone couldn’t withstand the force and gave way as the menger sponges all collided into one point and erupted violently. 

Max stood there staring into the space her teacher once was. He had died here, the main one was now dead and forgotten. Any others in the multiverse would suffer just as terrible of a fate now. Max’s smile wobbled. “It’s done,” her voice came out in a whisper. The other Maxs nodded and all left through different objects. Under the couch, the cabinets, the backdrop, and even pulling the curtain down. One by one they left, until only Max Caulfield remained. She was shivering. 

Victoria took a nervous step towards Max, “Are you alright?” 

“He… he…” Max’s voice broke and she fell to her knees. Victoria rushed forward to catch her, Cai assisting with ice to slide her across the room. 

Victoria wrapped Max in a tight hug, trying to contain the terrible storm within the brunette as she wailed with quaking sobs.

Notes:

This chapter was kinda the whole inciting reason for writing this story. I wanted to do an original stand for Max, but then I realized how similar her powers are to D4C from part 7 of JJBA and rolled with it and that simple change reforged the entire story in my mind. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the conclusion to the story in the what is the longest chapter of the fic by far!

Chapter 17: The Spin

Summary:

It's not a loop, it's a spiral.

Notes:

Sorry for the late update! My beta reader has just bought a house and has been busy, and I've been getting midterms and big papers to do. Anyways, here is the final chapter! This is by far the longest chapter yet, measuring up to be about 30 pages at 12 point font with no double spacing! I'm proud of this chapter, but do be warned that only like a third has been beta-ed.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy! There are more notes at the end.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Rain was a beautifully sobering thing. It was cold and shocking. It washed the warm layers of red away in a cool pelting shower. Max breathed in the stormy air deeply as she eyed the distant swirling cloud. 

Swirling. Spinning. Looping. Again and again. How many minds had been in the hands of the unawakened stand? How many Max’s faced the ice cold grip of death? Who was she anymore? Was she Max anymore? 

“Max!” Hands pulled the brunette back towards the barn. Not towards the Dark Room, only to within the barn’s open maw. “Jesus, Max, you’re shivering!” Victoria held on tight to the wet thin frame that was Max Caulfield. At least, on the outside, it looked like Max Caulfield. 

Max shrugged the blonde away, “I’m fine, just trying to get clean.” 

Victoria shook her head, “Don’t worry about it, we have more important things to worry about, like hypothermia.” 

Max felt humor tug at her heart. She rolled her eyes playfully, “Well, you don’t have to worry about it. ‘Cold never bothered you anyway.’” 

Victoria raised an eyebrow in confusion, “...what?” 

Sting. Like a dagger made from Cai the feeling of isolation stabbed through Max. She was an outsider, a stranger now. She was everyone and nobody. A paradox. 

Her eyes drifted towards the storm. The thing she knew instinctually belonged to her. It was her fault for existing. It was too late to cease to be, the storm was here now. The consequences had arrived. 

“Max,” Victoria draped a blanket over the brunette’s shoulders, “seriously, you need to stay warm. We don’t know when that storm will stop.” 

Max’s shoulders fell. “...it won’t. It never will.” 

Victoria’s expression furrowed, “Come on, Max, don’t be a Debbie Downer. You’re the optimistic one in our power dynamic.” 

Max smiled sadly, “The storm is nature’s perfect spiral. Tornados, hurricanes. Even the earthquake.” 

“...Max what the fuck are you talking about?” 

Max hunched further in on herself. She hugged her own body and shook her head, “I-I don’t know anymore.” 

Victoria stepped in front of Max. The brunette appreciated the effort of walking around her rather than turning her towards the Dark Room. She cupped Max’s cheeks, “Max, I… I care about you. So, so much. I need you to really tell me what is happening to you. I need to know how I can help snap you out of this funk.” 

Max wanted to feel sadness. Or anger. She wanted to release the hollow feeling in her core with a shower of tears. She wanted to feel something, anything, for this world and its inhabitants. But it just wasn’t there, and she was never a good liar. The Max that came before wouldn’t lie to this Victoria. 

So she told the truth: “I don’t know who I am anymore, Victoria. I’m not the same Max you knew. I… don’t think I’m Max anymore.” 

Victoria’s hands were rigid against Max’s cheeks. “Okay…” she croaked. She gave two tiny nods, “...okay, I understand.” Her hands slipped down to her sides. She folded her arms across her chest. Max lowered her head. 

“What…” Victoria’s voice cracked, “sorry, what do you want to be called?” 

Max shrugged, “I don’t know.” 

“...do you remember anything between us? You… have her memories, right?” 

Max nodded, then shrugged. “Sorta. I have a lot of memories. They’re getting jumbled up. I… think I’ve dated everyone at Blackwell at this point…” she gave a dry laugh. “But… the strongest memories I have right now are you and Chloe in this place.” 

Victoria nodded. “Okay. Then… maybe we should take a break? Until we figure ourselves out? What we want? Who we are?” 

Max finally gazed up at the blonde. Victoria was shivering. She was holding back tears. It stung. Through the myriad of memories something in her was screaming to say no, to drag her down and kiss her. 

“Okay. I…” she swallowed a knot in her throat, “I think I’d like to try again later.” 

Victoria gave a tiny wobbly smile, “Yeah, me too, Max.” 

They sat and watched Chloe and David argue in his car. 

 

~~~

 

“So, who are we leaving behind?” David asked. 

Chloe balked, “What?” 

David pointed at the car seat, “This is a two seater. We can’t stick them in the trunk or in our laps. We have to leave at least two people here to get help for y’all.” 

“First of all we aren’t leaving anyone behind,” Chloe counted on her fingers, “Second of all that storm is probably occupying the cops right now. Third of all, what the fuck are we gonna tell them? Where are we gonna go afterwards?” 

“Hospital. You all need to be checked out, make sure whatever he gave you isn’t going to screw with you long term,” David stated. He sighed heavily, “And we can’t all go together.” 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Well we don’t need the police for the hospital. If we just go straight there we can save time.” 

“...we could get them to send an ambulance. One of us goes with the ambulance to guide it where it needs to go to get the girls?” David offered. 

Chloe startled at the realization that he was asking her what she thought was the correct course of action. If it was a good idea. And startlingly she only found one issue with it: “...we’d still need to leave them.” 

David nodded, “Yeah, with that bastard’s car keys destroyed from whatever Max did to him we don’t have a choice. They’ll be safe here.” 

Chloe shook her head, “They won’t. Not with that… place, I don’t want to leave them near it.” David opened his mouth but Chloe continued, “I know he’s dead, like super dead. But it’s in the air here. Aside from that, what’s stopping that storm from getting closer? From throwing a damn tree over here?” 

“I’d say that’s an unlikely event-” 

Chloe pointed at her charred, bandaged arm, “Me having electrical powers is also an unlikely event.” Chloe frowned as she glanced at the swirling clouds in the distance. She shook her head, “It’s not normal. The air isn’t charged like normal storms are.” 

David blinked. “You can… feel… storms?” 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Yeah, I also felt that the problem with this hunk of crap-” she slapped the dashboard, “-was the spark plug, I don’t tell you everything about this supernatural crap because it’s weird and keeps changing. I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand it, so don’t try.”  

“I wish you’d told me more about all this sooner,” David lamented. 

Chloe shrugged, “It is what it is.” 

Rain pattered against the windshield. The heater was working overtime. Chloe glanced back towards the barn. Max was watching her and David. Victoria was sitting a distance away from the brunette on the ground, her back against a support pillar. She looked devastated. 

Max looked dead, there was no other way to put it. Her stare was far off, her mind taking a journey that Chloe hoped was pleasant. 

“...do you think she’s our Max? Truthfully?” Chloe and her stepfather’s eyes met. “Or were you lying in the bunker?” 

He was silent for a time. “I think there’s enough of her in there. She came to save y’all, didn’t she?” 

Chloe glanced at the rearview mirror, adjusting it to be able to see Max once more. “She killed a guy. Multiple times. Throughout infinity from what she said, I think.” 

David shrugged, “If I could kill that bastard throughout infinity I would.” 

Chloe nodded and rolled her eyes, “Obviously. Max is different. She isn’t a fighter.” 

“Everyone’s a fighter. We’re all killers, we all have our limits before the value of a life starts to change. I remember boot camp. I remember being told that the people in Iraq couldn’t be trusted.” His face contorted in shame, “And I’m embarrassed to say that I believed it. Fully. I didn’t believe a man only had apples in his shirt. Shot him.” 

Chloe gave herself whiplash with how hard she spun towards him. He nodded, “I felt sick when those apples hit the ground. I murdered a man because I was scared. I wasn’t assertive enough and he didn’t realize how serious I was, but that’s almost blaming him for me shooting him.” He sighed, “What I’m getting at is killing a person isn’t the terrible part. It’s the reason why. We need to be there for her as she grapples with what she’s done. With what’s been done to her by others… and herself.” 

“What do you mean?” stopped editing here

David nodded towards the rearview mirror, “I’ve seen boys with that look. Not many of them lived long once they came home.” He wiped his face with a rag, “We gotta be careful. She’s in a fragile state, that’s all I’m saying.” 

Chloe sighed with a nod, “Yeah. Okay.” She stepped out of the car, braving the rain once more. 

 

~~~

 

Chloe trudged through the mud with a grimace. Whether the grimace was one of pain or of unfortunate news Max couldn’t be sure. Victoria scrambled to her feet all the same, “Alright, what’s the plan? When do we get away from here?” 

“The plan is we go to the hospital and get an ambulance to come back here to…” Chloe trailed off. 

Victoria did a double take, “You’re leaving us here!?” 

“Not for long!” Chloe held up her good hand placatingly, “Just long enough to get an ambulance so we can all go to the hospital.” 

“No, it’s long enough for you to get to the hospital and convince them to pick us up!” Victoria yelled. 

“Victoria, it’s fine.” Both of the girls glanced over at Max. “Nothing bad will happen to you while I’m around,” she said to the blonde. To the bluenette she said, “If anything happens, call Victoria, her phone is working. Mine broke during… everything.” 

Chloe nodded, “Yeah, course.” She patted Victoria’s shoulder, “We’ll be back soon, okay? You don’t have to go back in there.” 

Victoria nodded thankfully. Chloe turned and left soon after. The blonde’s phone didn’t ring for twelve minutes. Max was counting the minutes, ready to rewind and give as precise information as possible- 

“Max?” 

“Huh?” Max shook her head and glanced at Victoria’s cracked phone screen. 

“You know they’re gonna be fine, right?” The blonde snickered. “You should get some rest. It’s been a long week.” 

Max stepped away, “Y-yeah. It has.” 

She stared at the storm far away above the trees as she thought about the start of the week. The start of hundreds of millions of weeks. Different timelines all with different styles, loves, and hates. Different experiences that all converge to a single point: Arcadia Bay. Blackwell Academy. A Monday in October. Asleep in the last class of the day with a nightmare of a storm ravaging the town. 

None of them had an idea of what it was. But her ancestor, some president from hundreds of years ago in a far off timeline, knew it. It started there, a perfect spiral. 

Max’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.” 

Victoria blinked, “What?” 

“The storm, I know what it is.” 

Victoria nodded, “Yeeeaaahh… it’s a waterspout. We’ve had a lot of weird weather anomalies this week, it’ll destroy the town but at this point I’m done with this place.” She pocketed her phone and placed a hand on the brunette’s shoulder, “We can’t stop it. Hell, we don’t even have an obligation to. We aren’t superheroes, you know?” 

“It’s a stand,” Max says as she backs further into the barn, “something strong. If we don’t stop it here it’s going to tear through the multiverse hunting after my stand, after me.” 

“Where are you-” 

“I’m hoping the Jefferson from here put his keys somewhere else!” Max charged down into the Dark Room without hesitation. 

Victoria froze a few feet in. She wouldn’t go further, not when Max was safe. But as the seconds drew on the stonewall she felt like began to crumble. Luckily she avoided needing to follow after her girl- her ex as the brunette charged out with a set of keys in her hand, “Found them!” 

“Where are we going!?” Victoria raced after the girl through the rain towards the car. 

Max paused at the driver’s side door with her hand on the handle. She looked at Victoria surprised, “‘We’?” 

Victoria smirked with her hand on her hip, “Duh, you’re really gonna leave a pretty girl all by her lonesome? Besides, we can keep an eye on each other.” 

Max shook her head, “This’ll be dangerous. I’m not putting you through it. It’ll be safer here.” The excuses spilled from the brunette’s mouth like the rain pouring from the clouds. 

“And if you don’t let me come with you I’ll freeze your feet to the ground,” she smirked devilishly, “A lot of rainfall does make things easier for me to control. Might be helpful.” 

Max sighed in defeat as she opened the door, “Fine… let’s go. We’re heading straight to the Two Whales.” 

 

~~~

 

Chloe wrinkled her nose. She could smell her arm’s burnt flesh as if it were still cooking with electricity. It filled the cabin of the muscle car like pot smoke filled her truck. “Mind if I lower a window?” 

“Sure,” David replied tensely. 

Chloe rolled the window down halfway. Petrichor and rain filled the cabin now as it drew out the stink of flesh. Both passengers sighed in relief. 

The punk frowned in empathy, “Sorry if my arm is bringing any bad memories to mind.” 

“It’s fine. Not your fault.” 

Chloe shrugged, “Weeeeeellllll, if you wanna get technical… no I’m pretty sure it was my fault. I cooked my own arm.” 

“I saw a man burn himself to a crisp protesting us being in his village.” He said it so casually, like he was talking about rain in September. 

Chloe winced, “Jesus, dude, can we go back to arguing?” 

David laughed at that, “Sorry, I don’t have any other soldiers to talk to. I shouldn’t dump this on you.” 

Chloe shrugged, “We both need therapy.” David nodded in agreement. 

They drove around a felled tree. The hospital could be seen in the distance. It stood above the nearby trees with shops and houses surrounding it. The town of Owenstown was supposedly built sixty years ago around the hospital as the singular building would serve the surrounding smaller towns rather than needing to go to Portland or Seattle to receive treatment. 

Chloe always thought it was a bit unnecessary. Now? She was thankful. Thankful for hospitals and she’d be thankful for morphine. And they’d be able to fix her nose, she’d been breathing awkwardly with each exhale blowing a warm breeze on her lip. Her entire body hurt.

David pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Vehicles were being scrambled to be filled. Trucks, vans, schoolbuses, and even ambulances. Chloe looked up to the hospital itself and balked. It was pitch dark. 

“I’m gonna go see Kate, you find out what’s going on,” Chloe said as she pulled herself out of the car. David nodded and stepped out towards one of the buses. 

Chloe stepped in with her phone’s flashlight illuminating the cramped lobby. There were people with respirators and oxygen tanks in full gurneys or wheelchairs. She couldn’t see the blonde, however. The small, mousy girl. Chloe approached the front desk, “Hey! Kate Marsh, where is she?” 

The woman there looked frazzled, and Chloe couldn’t blame her. “What? Oh my god!” She frantically waved down a doctor, “Doctor! This woman needs urgent care!” 

The bluenette rolled her eyes, “I don’t need help, just need to know where a friend is. I’ll handle the rest.” 

“What is it, Joy? I’ve got four geriatrics waiting on me-” The man’s eyes bulged out. “Christ, kid! Did you grab a power line!?” He began checking over Chloe’s left hand to her neck. 

She shoved him off, “I’m fine, just looking for a girl. Blonde, shorter side, in for shock and suicide watch? She has these beautiful green eyes and a button nose.” 

“Name?” 

“Kate Marsh.” 

She only was allowed to leave once her arm was properly wrapped with ointment, but she did get a shot of good ol’ morphine before being led to the girl’s room. It was the same room that she had the other day. 

“Why hasn’t she left!?” Chloe sputtered. 

The doctor shrugged, “She said God would save her like he did earlier this week. I dunno.” He patted her right shoulder, “Listen, I hope you can get her out of here. I have to go ensure my other patients are evacuated. The storm’s trajectory is aiming to hit here, so be sure to get out when you can.” 

Chloe nodded. There was nowhere else to go at this point, if she left. There never was a place to go to for her, otherwise she would have left Arcadia Bay sooner. She stepped into the room. 

Kate was leaning against the window frame watching the rain splash against the glass. The creak of the door didn’t stir the church girl. Her eyes were unfocused, and her frame was defeated. 

Chloe cleared her throat, “What’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?” 

Kate spun around and stood with a bright smile, “Chloe!” She rushed over with a hug. Chloe grit her teeth with a strained smile, trying to hide the discomfort from the pressure against her near useless arm. “I was so worried,” Kate’s words were muffled by Chloe’s shoulder. 

Chloe swallowed, “W-well, I appreciate it. I, uh, was worried about you, too…” 

Kate let go and looked the punk up and down. She gasped, “Oh my Lord! What happened to you!?” 

Chloe froze. Kate looked horrified, and based on the reflection the bluenette could catch, she had good reason to be. The entire week wasn’t kind to her especially. Her fight with Frank, her fight with Clarise, her fight with Nathan, and her fight with Jefferson. This week had been a scramble of… everything. She barely recognized the bloody woman in the ‘mirror’, and she couldn’t remember how to be the person she was before this week began. 

Chloe sighed, “You don’t wanna know, believe me.” She collapsed on the bed with a wearier sigh. “...what about you? Why aren’t you out of here?” 

Kate rubbed her arm, “W-well, I thought others needed to get out faster since they’re in more need-” 

“You’re young and full of potential. You should be out of here.” Chloe shook her head with a chuckle. It was ironic for the town reject to have to tell the future writer that she had so much to live for, but someone had to. And who better to? 

“You need to get to safety, some place far away from bumfuck Arcadia Bay.” 

“But… what about you?” Kate whispered. 

Chloe glanced at Kate out of the corner of her eye. She raised an eyebrow, “What about me? I’m not moving anywhere, not in my condition.” 

“Chl-”

“I can’t afford the hospital bills I’m getting after this, I don’t have a potential future, and aside from all that I don’t have anything here. I don’t have an anchor,” Chloe croaked as her throat burned and cold streaks trailed down her cheeks. 

“Me.” 

“Huh?” Chloe turned her head towards the now sheepish blonde, “What are you talking about?” 

“I-I want your help. You…” Kate tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “...you’re so brave and I’m not. I want to be brave like you, so I want you to teach me.” 

“Seriously? Couldn’t you learn from literally anyone more competent and put together?” 

Kate shook her head, “No, I only can learn from you, so where you go I’m going now. You aren’t going to be alone.” 

‘Fuck,’ Chloe huffed. “...fine.” She sat up with a great effort, “I’m gonna go get you some blankets, maybe get me some dry clothes, it’s freezing here.” 

“You’ll come back?” Kate asked worriedly. 

Chloe clicked her tongue and shot a finger gun with her right hand, “You betcha, I’ll be five minutes, promise!” Then she stepped through the door. 

And tucked herself against the wall as soon as it clicked shut. The tears fell in full now. Another promise that’d be broken. Kate would leave, and Chloe wouldn’t be able to follow. She’d be a burden for her. 

“What!?” 

“Keep your voice down!” 

Chloe sniffled and quickly dried her face as best as she could. From the end of the hall two nurses appeared with lanterns illuminating them. 

“You can’t tell me to calm down with the emergency generator breaking down!” 

“Just inform the director! I’m gonna see what I can do about getting more patients out.” 

They split away from each other then, going different directions. The one heading towards the director came towards Chloe’s hall. He froze when he spotted the punk, “Uh, h-hi, miss! Do you…” his eyes widened as he fully took in Chloe’s form, “Christ…” 

“Where’s the generator?” Chloe kicked off the wall, “I’ve got a lot of electrician knowledge. Might be able to get it running again.” 

He told her. She didn’t know why, but he told her and gave her keys to the maintenance doors she’d have to go through. Maybe she looked confident enough for the job, or maybe it was because there was nothing wrong with letting her try in such a terrible emergency. 

It was a blur getting to the generator. She stood in front of it now. It was old, and touching it with a tiny jolt of electricity told her everything she needed to know: it was fucked. Totally and royally. There was nothing she could do for the generator. 

She looked at her bandaged arm with a wince. ‘...This could kill me.’ She could be the generator. She knew it was possible. What it would do to her over so much time with so much electricity, even running it through her stand exclusively. 

But the thought of her dying didn’t scare her. It was leaving Kate alone that scared her. Not saying goodbye to Max or Victoria. Even her dad, her new dad. 

So she summoned Thunderstruck and hoped that it’d be enough. The stand’s lone silver and blue arm placed a single hand on the generator with a single thought in her mind before power shot through her body outwards. 

‘Like a candle lit on both sides, I’ll burn twice as bright to guide everyone home.’ 

 

~~~

 

The car skidded a little as Max slammed on the brakes. The bumper tapped a fallen tree in the middle of the road. “Dammit!” she yelled as she slapped the steering wheel. 

Victoria released the breath she was holding. “Max… are you sure we need to do this?” 

Max nodded resolutely, “I have to stop this. It’s here because of me.” 

Victoria gently grabbed Max’s wrist, “Max, you don’t have to put the world on your shoulders. You want to help but-” 

“No, this time it really is my fault, and I’m going to stop it,” Max said. Victoria looked into the brunette’s blue eyes and only saw a fiery determination there. It wasn’t like when she attacked Jefferson, but it was close. 

“What’s the plan, then, go on foot?” Victoria rubbed the back of her neck, “I mean, if we’re on a hill I can skate us down with Cai, but-” 

“I’ll deal with this.” Max stepped out of the car and marched up to the log. D4C appeared and drew its arm back with the strands of time coiling around the fist. Within the blink of Victoria’s eye the section of the tree blocking the car’s path was splintered and destroyed. 

Max climbed back inside the car and shifted the gear to drive. “...what exactly can your stand do?” Victoria asked.

“Time manipulation, timeline traversal, and hitting things really hard,” she answered matter-of-factly. 

They continued through the woods tensely. Branches and leaves smacked the roof of the car, winds blew the vehicle side to side, and rain made the fogging windshield even harder to see through. The ride was bumpy and uncomfortable despite the plush heated seats in the car. Eventually the town, what remained of it, came into view. 

It was gray. The sky, the mud, the concrete. Gray. Buildings had been pelted with debris from small boats and planks of wood to entire whales stacking up on the beach. They looked like stacks of bags of sand creating a wall to keep the enemy at bay. 

“We aren’t gonna make it too far,” Victoria sighed. Not far down the street an old shop had collapsed. The car didn’t have high enough suspension to clear the debris. 

“Can you make a bridge of ice?” 

“Even if I could make a bit of road large enough to drive on, it’s still ice, Max. It’d be too slick.” 

Max cursed, “Shit.” She pulled up to the wreckage and shut the car off. 

The girls stepped out and began clambering up the rubble. Victoria cursed as she slipped on loose stones and received a cut from a piece of rebar. Max used D4C to bend any bits of sturdy metal into hand holds for herself and Victoria. 

Once they pulled themselves up and over the rubble they gaped at the destruction before them. Before, while they were in the shelter of the car’s interior, they didn’t have a full grasp on the chaos surging in this place. The girls’ ears popped. 

“Christ…” Max nodded sorrowfully in agreement before sliding down the rough hill with Victoria hesitantly in tow. Once at the bottom Victoria surveyed the street for cover from the rain, “What’s the plan once we get to the Two Whales?” 

Max paused. “I don’t know,” she replied with a neutral shrug. 

Victoria balked, “What!?” She jogged forward and grabbed the brunette’s shoulder, “Max you said the storm was a stand, are we not gonna fight it?” 

“It’s in the storm, I think,” she corrected. 

Unperturbed by the interruption, “You don’t have a plan to stop the storm but you want to get closer?” Victoria splayed her hands out, “This is suicide!” 

“It’s necessary!” Max spun around and jabbed her finger into the blonde’s chest, “I can’t tell you what is going to happen at the diner or how I’m gonna beat this thing. No other Max has been able to beat the storm and it’s either the town is destroyed or Chloe dies.

“I’m so sick of compromising things, of not fighting for what little it seems I actually have! I’m not losing Chloe, I’m not losing you, and I’m not losing this town with everyone in it.” She turned towards the storm and screamed, “DO YOU HEAR ME!? I’M NOT LETTING YOU TAKE ANYTHING ELSE FROM ME TODAY OR THIS WEEK OR EVER AGAIN!” 

The brunette began stomping away. “Are you mad at me?” Victoria asked in a small voice. 

Max turned around and it broke Victoria’s heart with how exhausted she looked. Despite this she smiled, “No, Victoria, I don’t know how I could ever be mad at you.” 

She brushed her wet mop of bangs back and sighed deeply, “It’s just… lots of stuff on my mind from the whole-” she gestured vaguely at her brain, “-merging memories thing. I’ll tell you later.” 

“You’d better, I’m still confused by that.” 

With that they jogged through the streets briskly. The pressure dropped further, the wind and rain pelted them harder. Max grimaced at shops and places she remembered from different lifetimes in this town now looking dead. 

“Help!” 

Both girls skid to a stop. They looked up and saw a building worryingly wobbling. Inside a hole in the second story wall was a girl with jeans and a grey tank top sporting a head of dyed purple hair. 

“Holy shit, Alyssa!” Victoria scrambled up a fallen sign that had crushed a car creating a makeshift ramp. Max followed after her. 

Now closer and able to get a better view inside, the girls were able to see the precariousness of the other teenager’s predicament. Alyssa was trapped on wooden planks barely attached to the wall with a support beam. Below was a drop into a rubble and rebar infested basement. 

“V-Victoria? Max!?” Alyssa shouted. She was shivering, but wasn’t being pelted by rain, at least. The roof appeared to be holding… for now. 

“Alyssa!” Max stepped forward and held out her hand, “Come on! You can’t stay there!” 

Alyssa narrowed her eyes at the brunette, “Max, I’m too heavy.” 

“Yeah, too heavy for that rickety ass building! Get over here!” Victoria interjected. 

“I can catch you, Alyssa, trust me!” Max stepped closer to the edge of the sign with her hand extended. 

Victoria didn’t say it, but she doubted Alyssa would be able to make the jump. Hell, if Max or Victoria needed to make the jump she wasn’t sure they’d be able to do it even with their stands. 

“I-I can’t make it, Max!” Alyssa was sobbing. 

Max growled, “God dammit, Alyssa, you’ll die if you don’t try so you might as well make a break for it!” 

Alyssa was stunned out of her crying at least. Victoria couldn’t blame her, she hadn’t gotten used to this new Max yet either. 

Alyssa opened her mouth, but it snapped shut as the floor beneath her groaned and shifted down with a loud crack. “Shit!” Alyssa began to hyperventilate. 

“Victoria, hold on to me!” Max stepped off the sign. The blonde summoned Cai to grab on to Max and hold her so that the girl was reaching precariously towards the building. Victoria held on to the opposite edge of the sign and pulled her body and soul away. 

“Alyssa!” Max shouted. The building was coming down. But Max’s command registered and got Alyssa moving at least. The girl pushed herself to her feet with the beam as support. She ran as fast as she could and jumped. She was in free fall for a moment before D4C surged forward and caught her midsection before returning to Max. The three girls stumbled back and rolled down the sign as the building collapsed, sending damp dust through the air briefly. 

The girls coughed. Alyssa was the first to recover, “Holy… crap…” She laughed for a moment before they turned into sobs as she curled into herself. 

Victoria brushed her fingers through the girl’s hair, “Hey, shhh, it’s okay, we’re alive, we’re okay.” 

“I don’t know how you caught me! H-how did you-” 

Max clasped the girl’s shoulder, “Can you move? We can’t stay here.” 

Alyssa hiccupped, “Where can we even go?” 

Max looked up and nodded towards the beach front, “Two Whales is always open, even now I bet.” 

“That’s Waffle House, Max,” Victoria deadpanned. Max scowled at her, causing her to shrink and add sheepishly, “...buuuuut it’s our best bet for now.” 

“O-okay…” Alyssa nodded. 

The duo pulled Alyssa along with them. The adrenaline now out of the girl’s system her body barely responded to the commands her brain gave it. The back entrance was in view now and the trio found themselves on an actual road that opened to the boardwalk. 

The storm in all of its great and terrible power towered over the town. It was massive, like the beginnings to a hurricane. It seemed to be growing, too. The road was blocked by a toppled gas truck and several whale carcasses. The wind and rain were at their heaviest they’d been, roaring in their ears practically deafening the three. 

Alyssa started crying again. Max set her face in an angry determination while Victoria grit her teeth and forged ahead, tugging the other two along, “Come on, I wanna get dry. I swear, when -and I do mean when- we get out of this, I’m going to a place with nice dry sunshine. No rain or storms or anything. My ass is getting bronzed!” 

Max squeaked a giggle, which gave the blonde some warmth. Alyssa huffed, “Not gonna invite either of us, Victoria? Shocker.” 

“Y’know what? Why not. Get yourself one of those goth bathing suits, Max can get a bikini, I’ll wear my swimsuit, we’ll make a party of it!” 

This time all three laughed as they pushed up to the door and leaned against the frame. The door was blocked by a shelf. 

Max groaned, “They never fixed this fire hazard!? Joyce said they were fined for it when I was a kid!” 

“This place is a fire hazard due to all the grease in their food, I’m not surprised,” Victoria snarked. “Just use D4C.” 

Max glanced at Alyssa, who looked confused, then back at Victoria, “Uh-” 

“It was snowing in the mid 70s this week, whales have been beaching for no reason, there were two moons just a few hours ago, and now a storm has appeared out of nowhere. Magic punching ghosts being discovered is the least of our concerns right now.” 

Alyssa glanced between the two girls, “Magic? What are you-” 

Max shrugged, “Yeah, you’re right.” D4C appeared and delivered a firm kick into the center of the door blowing it and the shelf behind it backwards. Alyssa gaped as the stand users dragged her into the back of the diner. 

They traversed the kitchen area. It was… a mess, to say the least. It was clear anyone who could leave had left, simply tossing whatever was in their hands down. Victoria and Alyssa made their way into the main area while Max placed the door and shelf back into place with the help of D4C. When Max finally entered the main area she gasped in horror. 

It was like looking at a medical tent in an old war. Injured hastily bandaged bodies laid along seats, tables, and on the floor. Joyce was fiddling with the coffee maker trying to get it to stay powered enough for it to work. Frank was sitting next to the entrance with his arm in a sling eyeing Max warily. Warren was wrapping Brooke’s hand with a bandage. Victoria was standing near Frank, Alyssa went over to Warren and Brooke. 

The first person to notice her entrance was a bit of a surprise, however. “Max?” Trevor stumbled to his feet. His leg was bandaged and his ankle was bent. “Holy crap, what’re you doin’ here?” Behind him Justin was groaning in a booth seat. 

Max shrugged, “It’s a place I know.” 

Trevor nodded, “Yeah, yeah…” He rubbed his neck awkwardly, “Have you seen or heard from Dana?” 

“Thought you’d know?” Max frowned, “Weren’t you two with each other at the party?” 

“She wanted to go lie down in her room and I took her there. Still wanted to party so I found Justin and we smoked near here until…” 

Max nodded, “Yeah, I get it. If I see her I’ll make sure she’s safe.” 

“You planning to go somewhere?” Trevor laughed. Max didn’t, instead retaining a deadpan. “Max?” 

“You should rest, Trevor.” 

She walked over to Joyce next, “Joyce?” 

The older woman sped around the bar and scooped up Max in a bone-crushing hug, “Oh, Max! Thank God you’re okay! Have you heard from Chloe?” 

Max nodded with a calming smile after being released from the hug, “Chloe and David went to the hospital to see if they could get help. They’re alright.” 

Joyce relaxed, nearly slumping into a puddle, “Thank the heavens. If only you were with them, why didn’t you go with them?” 

“Not enough space in the car. Besides, I can help anyone in town,” Max said simply. 

Joyce looked sad, “You don’t need to be Super Max, girl.” 

Max returned the sadness with a smile, “I know, but I have to try.” Before Joyce could argue further Max made her way over to Warren. 

“Warren,” Max waved as his eyes swept over to her. 

He smiled, “Max! Glad to see you’re okay!” He finished strapping the bandage on Brooke’s hand before he walked over and made for a hug. He stopped after a moment and went for a handshake instead, “Sorry, trying to be mindful of boundaries-” 

Max hugged him, “Thanks, but you can ask for a hug from a friend.” 

Warren smiled and patted her back with one hand, “Got it.” They stepped away from each other, both surveying the restaurant. “I’ve been doing what I can from what I remember of Ms. Grant’s first aid class, but that was only small cuts and sprains.” He lowered his voice as he eyed the storm through the windows, “That storm isn’t helping, either. Think Chloe might be able to screw with the polarity using electromagnetism?" 

Max shrugged with a chuckle, “I don’t know why you’re asking me, I’m not the sciency type. Besides, that sounds like it’ll require a ton of power that would burn Chloe to ash.” 

“Shit,” Warren hissed. He eyed Victoria, who scowled harder at him, “...can she stop the storm?” 

Max shook her head, “No, I think the only stand capable of stopping that storm at this point is mine.” 

Warren nodded. “Well, if you’re sure.” He nudged her with his elbow, “I believe in you!” He returned to Brooke, who had also been scowling at the duo. 

Max approached Victoria and Frank finally. She nodded towards the man stiffly, “Frank.” 

“Quiet, this is hard enough as it is,” Frank grunted. Pompidou whined and rubbed against his leg. The man pet the dog and relaxed a little. 

“He’s using his stand to prevent the diner from flooding. He’s keeping water ways and drains clear,” Victoria explained, “It sounds grueling.” She kicked off the wall, “We ready to do this?” 

Frank lost his focus, “You’re goin’ out there? Why?” He asked. 

Max glanced around, nobody was paying close enough attention to them. “The storm is a rogue stand. It’s after me, and so I’m gonna stop it.” 

“How? Your stand is just an arm!” 

“I only showed you an arm and that arm was pretty effective against you. The full thing can handle this,” Max left no room for argument. 

Frank shook his head, narrowed his eyes, and tensed his body before saying, “Whatever, your funeral, kid.” 

Victoria and Max approached the door. “What’s the plan, Max?” 

Max looked out to the horizon where the storm raged on. Honestly? She had no plan. Her visions from the beginning of the week always ended before she was able to see a way to even slow it. A tornado was a force of nature, and a stand like hers couldn’t stop nature. But at the same time, it wasn’t a natural storm. It was also caused by a stand. Every stand could be stopped, no matter how impossible that seemed. 

But she had to shrug, “I don’t know, Victoria.” 

The blonde nodded, “Okay. I do have an idea though. I could try to create enough cold so that the clashing temperatures and pressures can get overwhelmed, you know?” 

Max nodded, “Okay, it’s worth a shot.” She stepped out of the diner. 

D4C saw the flying vehicle’s trajectory towards the entrance and kicked the ground hard enough to launch the brunette away. The car slammed into the building with a crash deafening Max. Or it was the sudden hammering of her heart that was overpowering every other sound. 

“Victoria!” She screamed as she scrambled to her feet. “Vic-”

“I’m fine!” The blonde’s voice choked out with coughs. “Frank is hurt, and we’re all cut and shaken up, but we’re alive!” 

Max slid down against the crumbling wall as she tried to steady her breathing and lower her heart rate. Her muscles ached now, the adrenaline from fighting Jefferson long since flushed from her system. Her head still throbbed from the usage of her stand during that battle. 

She didn’t want to get up. The rain felt wonderful, washing her skin clean. The blood she felt staining her hands wouldn’t wash away. Phantom injuries the water could not cleanse. But the water was cool, and the wind slung the pelting rain pellets into a painful volley. The real pain was good, grounding, and it helped her body sink further into that dangerous space between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Her heavy lids slid closed. 

“Max?” 

Her eyes opened once more. Victoria was inside, but she had found a hole in the wall where she could see the brunette. 

“Are you alright?” 

Max looked at the girl’s green emerald eye. It felt like an eternity ago when she fell for those eyes. Max felt her tears washed away by the rain, and was thankful that the girl wouldn’t see her cry. 

Max didn’t know what to say, so she settled on a shrug. She opened her mouth and hoped the words would spill out. They didn’t spill, merely tumbled slowly forward like a man walking the plank. 

“I’m so tired. I’ve lived this week so many times, seen so  many deaths, felt so many traumas and I don’t know how much further I can go with this stupid fucking week,” she laughed. 

“All my life I’ve been able to be quiet and nothing would happen to me. It always was just shrugged to someone else. Every timeline it’s the same thing. So I have to wonder, why am I here?” 

She tilted her head as she raised a lead filled hand to the sky, “What came first, the chicken or the egg? The storm or the stand? I’m just one person with one stand, I can’t stop this with just us. Why did I bring you here?” 

Victoria was quiet for some time. The storm grew closer, larger. It loomed in the distance roaring like a distant dragon. Finally, the blonde spoke, “You made me better, Max. That isn’t why you’re here. I don’t think any of us are here for any reason. I don’t believe in fate. Fuck fate. We do what we want, when we want. And you know why people suffer? Because someone else decided they should. I did it, you remember that. But you’re different, Max. You decided that people shouldn’t suffer. That’s what you’ve done. That’s what I think every version of you will do.” 

“Really?” 

Victoria smiled, “Yeah. You’ll always be my friend, Max.” 

Max laughed and shook her head, “Nah, that sounds wrong.” 

“Wrong?” 

Max used D4C to help push herself to her feet using the wall to support her weight, “I shouldn’t have asked for a break. God I’m an idiot, and I think I’m in love.” 

“What?” Victoria squeaked. 

Max smiled and took a shaky step towards the beach, “I’ll see you later, Vicky.” 

“Max! Wait, Max! Just hold on! I’ll be right there just don’t-” 

Max stopped listening. If she listened too much she would lose what little strength she had left. 

 

~~~

 

Rumbling thunder, or an earthquake, or a stampede brought the bleary teen out of her sleep. When had she left class? It was dark, like a cloudy night right before a big storm. Though, it was already storming with ice cold pellets of rain pelting her face and arms. Max pulled herself up with difficulty. She wasn’t athletic and the weight of her water logged clothes wasn’t helping. 

She shook her wet mop of a head. “Fuck…” timelines jumping left and right stopping and starting all converging within her mind. The path walked by hundreds of Maxs prior without the footsteps to prove it. 

Max dug her fingernails into her arm, pain centering her into the only timeline that mattered to her. The wind was stronger now, roaring in her ears and leaving her shivering. She knew there was no turning back, not anymore. Trees had fallen on her path, debris probably tumbled into obstacles, and her legs would only carry her so much further. 

There was a burn in her calves as she trudged along the muddy path to her end. She didn’t think she’d survive this. Funny Valentine, a man with infinity at his fingertips, failed to stop this stand. 

‘It’ll probably kill me,’ she thought grimly, ‘But it won’t destroy the town if I die here. If D4C is finally destroyed, then everyone will be free.’ She forced her crying legs to push her faster. 

She broke the tree line and stumbled back as the full force of the wind hit her then. The storm was close, close to the town, close to the cliff with the lighthouse. Close to the end. Max glanced around. She could see them now. Echoes of other timelines all converging to a single point. 

She could see the versions she called on to help her defeat Jefferson. Some holding hands with an unseen person, others were clearly alone and afraid. All of them held a grim realization that they were at an end. Max had that moment too. 

The thought was comforting, in a messed up way. For all the suffering she had endured this week, this same week looped endlessly for however long she’d been stuck trying desperately to save everyone and give a happy ending, there was peace in the knowledge the end was soon. She only had to push a little farther, tear herself apart a little more. She could do that. For Kate, for Chloe, and for Victoria. 

The lighthouse waxed and waned. The leaves slapped whatever was in their way. Max slipped in the mud and fell to her knees, muddying the material of her jeans and what polish remained on her nails. She grunted with the immense effort it took to simply move her arms, pry the hands from the suction of mud encompassing them. But she moved. One agonizingly exhausted step at a time. 

The lighthouse crumbled as a boat crashed into the side, and it fell down towards Max. But she would not be stopped yet. She hadn’t faced the stand doing this. D4C shot up and in a flurry of punches created a protective barrier against the bricks. 

“Not yet, I can’t be done yet…” Max chanted to herself as she crawled towards the end of the path. To the bench. To the edge. To the end of the world. 

She used the bench to pull herself to her feet and placed all the weight she could on it without collapsing on top of the thing. She looked up to the storm. It hadn’t moved since she had begun crawling. “I’m here!” she called out. She gestured with her finger, commanding it to come closer, “Let’s finish this you big gray bastard.”  

The storm moved. It drew closer, and Max felt adrenaline coursing through her once more. She smiled. 

The storm engulfed her, but the permeable grey did not tear her asunder with debris like she had expected. Instead, she almost fell over as the wind stopped suddenly and she found herself in a black void. She took a step and huffed a laugh as her foot created ripples in ankle high water. Even now life decided to screw her over in the minorest of ways by drenching her socks further. 

So she kept walking. No thoughts in her mind, nothing except reaching the end, reaching the stand. She walked for so long with her body in a perpetual state of fatigue that she forgot what other sensations felt like. So when she slammed full force into a wall she gasped and felt embarrassment flow. Then she looked around. 

Green tiles, cheap fluorescents, and a bathroom mirror with ‘firewalk with me’ scratched into the glass. “What the…” She spotted the two closed stalls. There were pairs of converse under the doors. 

She knocked gently, “Hello? Is someone there?” 

“She’s scared.” The person behind the other door spat. “You’re scaring her.” 

Max rubbed her neck, “Sorry, do you know where I am? I… I’ve been walking a while.” 

“Why don’t you go outside and figure shit out yourself, Max.” 

“Fuck you, too.” Max stormed out of the bathroom and froze. She was in the Two Whales. She was in every seat. Hell, she was in Joyce’s apron serving herself coffee. She was in Nathan’s clothes scowling at everyone. She was toking up with Justin and Trevor’s outfits on. She was in the corner seat petting Pompidou with a tattoo and Frank’s jacket. They were all frozen. It would’ve made a great picture.

“Holy shit…” 

“Yup, you broke it!” A Max dressed in the same pink doe shirt, grey hoodie, blue skinny jeans, and black converse. “Same thing every time.” 

“Who are you?” Max asked. 

The other Max rolled her eyes, “Take a wild guess, moron.” She walked over to the only empty booth in the diner. Max followed, but she didn’t sit down when the other Max did. “Bet you have some questions, huh?” 

Max shrugged, “I don’t know if you have the answers. I’m looking for the stand, I think it’s called Tusk Act IV? The memories from D4C’s previous user are a bit jumbled, but I think that’s what it’s called.” 

The other Max blinked. Then she cackled, “Holy shit! You’re crazy!” 

Max nodded resolutely. “Yeah, I’m aware. How do I get to the center of the storm?” 

The other Max stopped laughing. “Seriously? You don’t get that you broke everything so badly you can’t save everyone, right?” 

“Don’t need to save everyone,” Max tapped her foot impatiently, “How do I get to the center of the storm? You know more than you’re letting on.” 

The other Max’s expression formed a confused scowl, “I think I’m confused… who are you?” 

Max smiled politely, “I’m Max, never Maxine. My stand is Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. I’m trying to stop the stand causing the storm.” 

The other Max shook her head, “Yeah I’m not even gonna try to wrap my head around that one…” She held out her hand, “Call me Maxine, I guess.” Max shook Maxine’s hand. “So, how are you gonna stop the storm, huh?” 

“Stand is generating infinite rotational energy. Gonna hit it as hard as I can and hope that’ll be enough.” Max answered. 

“You’re insane.” 

Max laughed and nodded, “And tired. So tired. I’ve had a long week.” 

Maxine nodded. She gestured to the other Maxs, “We all have. We’ve all been through this week too many times. Saving someone. Killing another. Watching in horror as we keep trying to go further, push the loop to the limit trying to break it… until we break something else.” 

“Something else?” 

Maxine nodded, “We broke reality.” 

Max swallowed. “We’re outside of reality, then?” she mused. 

“Yup,” Maxine emphasized the pop of the p. “We’re stuck here until the end of everything. Until the elder gods awake from their slumber, if you get that reference.” 

“H.P. Lovecraft’s gods creating reality by dreaming, yeah, I know of it,” Max nodded, “I think one version of us that died before me was a big fan of Lovecraftian stuff.” 

“You been through a few loops, I take it?” Maxine asked. 

Max made a so-so motion with her hand, “Sorta. My stand holds the memories of those that came before with it. None of them could activate D4C before me. I can still feel some of their deaths like it just happened.” She shivered. A cold needle, a bullet through the brain, dog’s maw on her throat, water filling her lungs. 

“Jesus, that sounds like a rough deal. Our powers are pretty sweet compared to yours.” 

Max furrowed her brow, “Powers? You have powers, too?” 

Maxine nodded. “Yeah, everyone here has pulled too tightly on the strands of time, at least that’s what I call them. It-” 

“I know them, I can do it too. I always assumed it was my stand doing that…” Max rubbed her wrist and looked over at D4C. It looked back. 

“Could be, I don’t know. You’re a lot different from the rest of us.” Maxine brushed a hand through her hair, “And you want to go deeper. Every Max that has ever visited this place has either left and given up on their quest of saving whoever she’s fallen for or she stays here hoping her world goes on without her.” 

“How long have you been here?” Max asked. 

Maxine smiled sadly, “So long. Lifetimes. The strands and laws of time are broken here. Eventually, what little rules we still have fall away, and we just stop.” She nodded towards the Max in the waitress outfit, “...she was the one before me. She stopped a while ago.” 

Max nodded, “I see. Is there any way to stop it? To get you out of here?” 

“To save us?” Maxine barked a laugh before shaking her head, “No. We let go of the strands of time. How I was told, we were the holes in the weave of time. Like a… like a bullet lodged in a wound. Time being broken brings disaster, us existing prevents the wound from closing.” 

Max nodded. “I could deal with being stuck here, it’s comforting.” 

“For now.” Maxine twidled her thumbs slowly. “It gets dull pretty quick. Especially when there’s nobody to talk to. Then your mind starts playing tricks on you. Voices start whispering from the shadows. That’s not the worst part, though.” 

“What is?” 

“I think we’re still conscious when we stop.” Maxine looked terrified. Tears welled in her eyes, “I can feel my body slowing down. It’s happening soon, and I’m so scared that my mind will keep going but I won’t be able to move.” 

“I won’t let that happen to you,” Max stated, “I’ll kill you. All of you.” 

Maxine gave a wet laugh, “Do you have it in you?” 

“I’m different. You said it yourself.” Max placed a comforting hand on Maxine’s shoulder, “I won’t let you be alone.” 

Maxine shook her head, “It’s fine. You should try to leave, go back to reality.” She pointed towards the main entrance to the restaurant, “If you go through there you’ll leave. You’ll go where the Maxs that give up and return to their timelines go, where they hopefully give up their powers.” 

“And if I needed to go deeper?” 

Maxine hesitated. “That might be worse than what happens here. Are you sure you want to do that? Is it worth it?” 

Max shrugged. “Even if it doesn’t stop the storm in any other timeline, it’ll stop the one in mine. I know it will, and I need that guarantee.” 

Maxine nodded towards the kitchen, “You could try the fire exit. Nobody has come out of there ever, and nobody has gone through there.” 

Max nodded and finally sat down across from Maxine. The other Max tilted her head, “You’re really gonna stay with me? Even if it takes years?” 

“You’ve helped me. And I’ve had moments where I wanted someone, anyone, to be there with me but nobody was. I won’t let you be alone.” 

Maxine laughed, but only her shoulders and head moved. “It’s kinda sad if the only one that is willing to help my sorry ass is just a traumatized version of myself.” 

“We lead sad lives, Maxine,” Max replied softly. 

It took what felt like hours as Max watched Maxine slowly petrify. It went from the shoulders, to the ears, to the neck, to the tongue, to the jaw, finally the eyes. At least she was smiling. 

“D4C.” 

Max pushed the door open as she wiped stray droplets of blood off and stepped into the void once more. 

Max kept walking. Her legs burned greater now that she felt the mercy of rest in the diner. The building had long since vanished from the horizon. Max pushed further, a burning determination the only thing fueling her pursuance. She should have starved, she should have died of thirst, she should have collapsed from lack of sleep. She should be dead at least a thousand times over. But she refused to. 

She spotted something on the horizon this time. It was small, nothing like the diner. As she got closer she felt fear grip her. She slowed her pace as she neared the center and passed the sign that said ‘American Rust’. 

There was a gentle strumming of guitar and the crackle of a fire. Max approached slowly, trying to silence the wake of her steps through the abyssal waters. 

“Hm?” Max wasn’t quiet enough. She was behind a wrecked bus, and around the corner she could see the reflecting light of a warm orange fire. “Who’s there? Don’t got beer, but I’ve got song!” 

Max peeked out of her cover and stopped dead in her tracks. The ghost before her smiled brightly and beckoned her over, “Hey! Don’t I know you? Come here!” 

Max swallowed her fear down and obeyed. She trudged over and finally felt her legs give out on her and collapsed into the inky black waters. They ached as if she were still moving, and rest would not come. She gasped and tried to massage the pain away. 

“Yikes, how long have you been travelin’ for?” 

“Are you Rachel Amber?” Max asked in disbelief. 

The blonde smiled. It was beautiful, just like Max had heard about. “The one and only.” 

Max felt many feelings swell within her. Surprise, grief, happiness, but anger most of all. 

“You’re a bitch.” 

Rachel snorted, “Wow, okay, Vicky.” 

“You led Chloe on, you betrayed her trust.” 

Rachel rolled her eyes, “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“I know how hurt Chloe was when I had to tell her that you and Frank were banging. I know how hopeful she was to find you. I know that you are a coward that couldn’t be there for her when she was always there for you!” 

“Then look in the mirror, Max Caulfield!” Rachel shouted. 

“I AM!” Max splashed water towards the blonde, but since the flanneled girl was sitting atop the hood of a car and Max’s arms were like lead anvils the model stayed dry. 

“I’m looking at something I used to be and thank whatever powers there are that I ended up different.” 

Rachel shook her head, “Did we? End up different? We’re both here now. You live, I die, the storm rages on. Loop keeps going in circles.” 

Max pushed herself up somehow, she didn’t even know how. Her body protested and her brain told her it was impossible. But her soul had done the impossible before, and she would keep doing the impossible. “...so?” 

Rachel lifted an eyebrow. Max continued, “So what if it’s pointless? So what if I’m doomed to keep walking through this place forever? I’ll keep going. I’ll push this place to its limits. I’ll go until this place breaks because I won’t.” 

“You need to stop, Max.” Rachel shook her head, “You might be able to go back. Live your life. Live that life with Chloe even.” She strummed a sad tune on the guitar, “You won’t find anything past here.” 

“Then I’ll make something.” Max trudged out of the junkyard. 

“Good luck, Max! You make me proud, you rebel punk!” 

And so here she was. Days, weeks, years, decades later. She didn’t count. She only thought about that pain she felt, the pain the people she loved suffered, and the texture of lips pressed against her own. 

And it paid off. The waters had begun to twist and swirl into a vortex. She stood a few feet away from the center of the vortex, a hole the size of a half dollar coin. And hovering above that hole was a blue butterfly. 

Max sagged, but kept her body upright. She waved as best she could, her hand only rising an inch or two, “Hi, I remember you from the bathroom. How are you?” 

The blue butterfly was blue, practically glowing. It was beautiful. After seeing so much black nothingness it was the most beautiful thing Max had seen. It flapped its wings once, perched seemingly in midair. 

“I’m at the end, aren’t I?” 

Another flap. 

Max nodded, “Got it. Enter the vortex, huh?” She laughed under her breath. “Thank you. I don’t know why I feel like I should thank you, but I need to.” 

The butterfly flew away, dissipating into blue sparkless until Max was left in darkness before the vortex. She nodded resolutely and stepped into the hole. It pulled her in, stretching her thin until she was small enough to fully enter. 

 

~~~

The roaring wind hit her all at once, her chest hurting from the sudden pressure with her ears popping painfully all at once. Warm liquid trickled down her earlobes. Max Caulfield stumbled to her aching feet grabbing onto the bench for support. She gasped at the sight before her.

A stand, humanoid in shape, floated before her. It was pink, with a golden halo spinning around its head. The body was covered in black stars and rosary chains hanging off the chest like a curtain. “Chumimin…”

Max sighed. “Tusk Act IV? Or maybe you’re Act V? I dunno, don’t care. We’re done.” 

Tusk pulled an arm back. Echoes of Tusk were delayed with each movement. 

Max pulled her arm back. Echoes of her across time followed each movement. 

“You have infinity, I have infinity now,” Max’s voice reverberated with the voices of other wallflower brunettes. “Let’s see which Will is gonna win.” 

The fist flew forward and connected. Max felt her arm shatter in an infinite number of ways. She screamed with pain and rage as she pushed harder, further. She ignored the pain burning her nerves, the exhaustion tearing at her body. 

Images flashed through her weary mind then. Chloe with an eyepatch playing pirates in the woods. Warren screwing up an experiment royally, getting his pants bleached specifically on his crotch. Dana dancing with the awkward mess Max Caulfield. A tea date with Kate. A night of breaking and entering with Victoria.

“D4C!” Max roared. The stand slammed its fist into Tusk’s, phasing through Max’s arm. 

The air stilled. The pressure decreased. After a few moments Tusk Act IV relented. Max stumbled forward and collapsed into the mud. The pink stand glimmered in sunlight that broke through the grey clouds above. 

“Arigato.” The stand floated up towards the beam of warm sun. Once it touched it, it disintegrated into a puff of golden dust. 

Max finally felt her body give out. Ragged breaths puffed out of her slowing body. She felt like death was on his way, the bell finally tolling for the brunette. Her eyes slid closed of their own volition. 

 

Death isn’t so bad. Living’s the hard part. Death is just an end to something beautiful.

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this fic! This is the final chapter other than the epilogue. I personally view this as kinda dumb because in all intents and purposes Max would not win here and Tusk would be gone long before now. However, I felt this was the natural progression of the story, thus it is here.
Anyways, see you again friday!