Time Seizure

Chapter 7 - Ikigai

In her mental world, Max had her hand locked around Rachel's wrist as well, trembling from fear and determination. She heaved in a few deep breaths, then let go again. She backed up a bit from the astral girl to gaze into her own hands and fingers, the same ones that created and destroyed, and clenched them into fists.

Finally, she dared ask the nagging question. "One more thing before we do this." Rachel angled her face sideways a bit, worried with whatever she was going to request. "If I don't make it..." Max paused to swallow. "Will you take me to wherever it is you went?"

"You mean...?" Rachel clipped her tongue before she could say the rest of that sentence in front of Chloe outside; she understood what she was asking.

Max just nodded. "If my powers are gonna pose a threat to anyone else again, then they should die with me otherwise."

Rachel bowed her head, sadly recalling when she watched the two at the lighthouse as some invisible omniscient being. Around the time, she was just a floating piece of matter that broke off from the storm to observe them indifferently, but now, after materializing and remembering everything before, there was emotional weight.

She listened to how Chloe had pleaded with her friend to sacrifice her life to save all the others, and now here Max was asking her the same thing.

"I should be the last casualty, if that's what this so-called universe wants." Max finished, and released all those bottled-up emotions in a slow exhale.

Without answering verbally, Rachel nods grimly to her request; she had to wonder in the back of her own mind what choice she would have made in Max's place, but she shook it off.

They couldn't waste any more time.

*****

Back out in front of the diner, Rachel's time-hold over the cops finally relented, and they slumped to the ground like puppets that had their strings severed. They weren't unconscious to say the least, but they weren't responsive either to each other or anything around them anymore; they were all just staring blankly forward.

Inside, Frank lowered Pompidou back onto the floor and proceeded cautiously towards Rachel and the others while his canine companion tailed behind him quietly; he had to see for himself.

Chloe sharpened her eyes when she noticed Frank approaching her way and mouthed at him, "Get the fuck away from us."

Frank half-complied; he slowed down but refused to stop. He had recently gained a certain ounce of respect for the two girls, but he still wasn't going to let the punk have her way.

The punk's face darkened as he drew closer; she feared that this idiot would try to do something to reach out to his 'girlfriend'. Frank sensed her apprehension and raised his hands to let her know otherwise as he then squatted down a minimal distance next to the form of his former fling, or lover.

Chloe settled herself soon enough, but was still iffy about him being here too, especially at the way he was then studying her features intently. Nevertheless, Max was still the number-one priority right now.

With Max's hand still on Rachel's wrist, the entity edged closer and moved the frail girl's other hand to her cheek to mirror each other.

"Follow my lead." Rachel whispered soothingly.

*****

A moan of thunder pushed away the silence that filled the shadowy void above as the two girls sat opposite each other, cross-legged, knees touching, and their hands braced to form a ring between the two.