LiS '23 (Pricefield)

A Strange Vision

Maxine Caulfield. From an objective standpoint, an average teenage girl. She was currently sitting on the steps of her dorm building at Blackwell Academy; pretentious art and STEM high school located in Arcadia Bay Oregon. Her grown out mullet was pulled into a loose ponytail. She was writing in a beaten up journal covered in band stickers.

"October 7th, 2023. Yo. I haven't written shit for weeks. I mean to be fair, absolutely nothing worth writing about has happened either. That nerdy ass dude Warren still thinks I want him. I mean, he's not horrible looking, but he's desperate as hell. Also he gives off redditor vibes.
I have a free period right now, but I have to head to photography soon."

Max glanced at her phone screen and sighed. If she wanted to keep up her perfect attendance record, she would have to pack up and leave. She stuffed the old journal into a messenger bag adorned with several pins and patches. Max slung the bag lazily over her black flannel and left the dorm entrance.

Max made it to class five minutes early and made her way to the table she usually sat at. One problem. Victoria Chase. Her bony ass was stuffed into Lululemon leggings that did her no favors. Also she was sitting on Max's table.

Victoria was laughing with her basic bitch parade about a Tik Tok one of them had posted last period. Max rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. Victoria and her Stanley-wielding minons paused and turned towards Max, their eyes staring daggers through hers. "Hey. I don't mean to interrupt whatever this is, but that's kind of my table." Max was pretty timid, especially around the members of Blackwell's resident cunt group, the Vortex Club.

Victoria gave Max a fake smirk as she stood up and leaned against the table. "H really? I guess I didn't see the name 'emo-nerd-bitch' on it." Her posse giggled as Max was left with a confused look on her face. Emo? She was wearing an off white shirt under a flannel and baggy jeans. Not exactly emo.

Just as Max was about to reply, a man with glasses and a super out of date wardrobe walked in. "Everyone find your seats please." He glanced at Victoria and her groupies. "Yes, you too girls." Victoria rolled her eyes and finally sat down where she was supposed to sit. Bitch.

The teacher, Mark Jefferson, started his incredibly boring lecture about lighting and saturation. As much as Max admired his work, the way he spoke made it almost impossible to pay attention. He was extremely millennial, and had a certain flamboyance and confidence that, at times, made him a little insufferable. To be fair, he was just as pretentious as Max about photography.

Max glanced around the room at her classmates. Most of them were already about to fall asleep, or had already done so. Kate Marsh, a kind and gentle girl, had been pretty upset for the last week. Her long golden hair covered her meek face in thick strands, only her puffy eyes peeking through to steal glances at her surroundings. Kate and Max lived next to each other in the dorms, and had gotten fairly close. The way she had been acting recently wasn't like her at all.

Max was increasingly worried about Kate. She hadn't lived here in years, and Kate was one of the only friends she had made. She was planning on speaking to Kate after class and seeing if she needed any support.

Max's thoughts were interrupted by a grating whiny voice. "I agree sir. Color photos aren't nearly as affective as black and white." Ugh. Victoria dick riding as usual.

Right before Jefferson could give a response, Max's eyes went dark. They flickered open and she found herself laying on a secluded dirt path in the middle of an intense storm. She cautiously made her way to her feet, examining her surroundings.

"What the fuck? Why am I here? Where is here?" She frantically looked around the wooded trail and spotted something familiar. "There! The lighthouse. I'll be safe if I can make there. I hope..."

She covered her pale blue eyes with her sleeve and slowly made her way up the hill, her Converse sinking into the thick mud that covered the ground, her freckles mixing with the raindrops coating her face. She reached the top after a minute or so of dragging her feet. Her arm dropped back to her side, mouth agape.

In front of her was a monster tornado heading straight for Arcadia. Her shock was interrupted by a cracking sound to her right. The lighthouse was collapsing. Right on top of her. Max yelled as the top of the lighthouse tumbled down on top of her. Her vision went black.

She startled awake right back where she was sitting in the photography classroom. Tears trickled down her face as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"What the hell was that. I didn't fall asleep, and that sure didn't feel like a dream." Max desperately tried to calm her frantic thoughts. "You're back in class, everything's fine, you're okay." She took one last deep breath before she was able to function again.

She looked around for a distraction, and her eyes landed on her vintage Polaroid camera on her left. Maybe taking a picture would prove that she was still here. She slipped the camera under her table and curled her lips into an anxious smile before snapping a picture.

Mr. Jefferson stopped his lecture after hearing the click from the camera. "Shh. I belive Max has taken what our generation called a 'selfie'." Max turned red as the whole class shifted in their seats to look at her as Jefferson shifted the conversation to portraits. "Max, since you're so eager to join the discussion, what was the process that gave birth to the first self portraits?" She panicked. "I mean.. I did know, but.. I kind of forgot." Jefferson slammed his hand down in the table behind him. "You either know this, or not. Does anyone here know their stuff?"

Even redder than before, Max listened to Miss preppy bitch's response. "The Daguerrian process gave birth to Deguerreotypes, a process that gave pictures a sharp reflective style, like a mirror." Victoria turned her attention to Max. "I guess you're gonna go cut yourself now. Too bad." Max sneered back at Victoria, something she never thought she would do. In response, Victoria rolled her eyes and giggled along with her lap dogs.

There was a few minutes of class left, and Max spent them reflecting on the scary ass experience she had just had. The bell rang and everyone gathered their belongings as Jefferson reminded everyone to enter pictures into the "Everyday Heroes Contest". Max had taken a picture for it, but she wasn't very confident in her work.

Max slipped her messenger bag over her shoulder and walked towards Kate. "Hey Kate." Kate brushed the golden strands out of her face as she raised her head. "Oh. Hey Max." Her voice was sweet and soft. "How are you doing?" Kate shrugged. "I don't know. Not great." Max frowned and put her hand on Kate's shoulder. "Why don't we grab some tea and talk about our problems." Kate gave a half smile and looked up at Max. "Maybe later. I think I'd like to spend some time alone." Max nodded and and waved Kate goodbye.

Max walked towards Mr. Jefferson and rolled her eyes as Victoria flaunted her bony ass for him. She stood in between them and cleared her throat. Their attention shifted towards Max as she awkwardly stood with her hands in her pockets.

"Uhm.. Excuse me Maxine, but me and Mark are having an important conversation right now. If you would-" Jefferson interrupted her. "No Victoria, excuse us. What is it Max?" Max gave a half shrug and responded. "Do I really have to submit a picture for the contest? I mean I don't really have time to get something together." Jefferson smirked. "Of course you do. I mean, I can't force an artist to work, but you have talent. Please just consider it." Max shyly nodded and slowly walked away, ignoring the daggers Victoria was staring through the back of her head.

Max stepped into the hall as incoherent chatter rung through her ears. She sighed and managed to gather her thoughts. "I need a serious time out in the bathroom." She slipped an airpod into each ear and put on amoeba by Clairo. She let put a breath as she walked into the crowded hallway.