Quroscuro

Little Pieces of Time

The photograph had been folded in his pocket in a rather haphazard manner. Nathan strolled back over to Max kneeling down to her level.

 "I know about your gift Max, you aren't the only one messing with time around here" he hands her the photograph.

 "How do you know about that?!" Max exclaimed a bit too loudly, Nathan covered her mouth with is palm.

 " You have to be quiet we don't want Jefferson busting in here. I will answer that question later but what I can tell you right now is I can rewind too Max".

 With her eyes wide in surprise Max looked down at the photograph in her hands, it was a selfie of Nathan it was night time in the picture and Max could just about make out her in the background walking towards the Blackwell pool. This wasn't a normal selfie he wasn't posing, he took this for the purpose of using it to go back to this moment. She looked at him bewildered trying to take this all in.

 "I need you to hold my hand Max" he said in the calmest voice I have ever heard emanate from him. He continued "I have a theory that if we hold hands we will both go back with our memories of what has happened here". Max still speechless grabs Nathans hand and they both focus intently on the photograph. 

The next thing Max knows she is walking towards the pool building, she stops dead in her tracks. Chloe has already rushed ahead.

 She turns and looks to where Nathan was in the photograph, he's there alright and making an ushering gesture. She sprints over and grabs Nathan by the arm of his jacket.

 "Looks like my theory worked" Nathan said with a half smirk "but now I have questions to answer".

 Max looks at Nathan nervously "this is not a good place for questions" the concern coming across strongly in her voice.

 "To much of a public place? Or are you sacred your bitch Warren is going to find us and try and beat the shit out of me again" Nathan inquired having noticed the tone of Max's voice.

 "Yes and Chloe is ready to rip you to shreds at this moment in time".

 "Right then I know a place where we can talk" he opens the door to the car we were stood at the side of.

 "I thought your car was red with a busted light?"

 "It was I had it repainted and the light replaced, just get in already!" His words were urgent.

 Max stepped in and Nathan closed the door behind her and quickly darted to the drivers side.

 "Who knew Nathan could be chivalrous" Max muttered before Nathan could open the drivers side door. 

They speed out of the Blackwell car park. 

Once out of the vicinity of the school Nathan slowed down a little but he was still a fair amount over the speed limit. And suddenly it was like a dam breaking.

 "I never wanted to be a part of it Max" his voice quivered. "It was my fucking Father and that cunt Jefferson, they forced me into it".

 "How?" said Max in the gentlest tone she could manage.

 "You have been in the dark room before right?" 

He looked over at Max and Max nodded in return.

 "And knowing you being a nosy bitch you probably took a look in some of the folders."

 Max nodded again confirming Nathan statement.

 He took a deep shaky breath "Did you look in Rachel's?".

 At this moment Max knew exactly what he was talking about, "I saw the picture of you and Rachel, it's one of the reasons Chloe wants to shoot you right now".

 Nathans breath was coming quicker and more jagged than before, Max looked to his face he was stupidly pale and blinking back tears. She glanced down to his hands and saw he was gripping the wheel so hard his knuckles where turning white.

 "They drugged me too Max...in that photograph with Rachel" He swallows hard "they have used that photo ever since to blackmail me into doing their fucking dirty work".

 Max felt the blood drain from her face "wh..wh..what? What about what you did to Chloe?"

 At this point Nathan turned off the road into the forest area Chloe and her had built a pirate fort as kids. Nathan swallowed again and was visibly trying to calm himself.

 "I was experimenting to see if I could take a photograph and rewind so it was like I never had to drug her at all, but it went wrong...so wrong" He sunk his head into his hands.

 "So you really didn't want to hurt anyone?"  

Nathan nodded an sobbed into his hands. 

Max sunk back into the car seat her mind raced "what about the gun in the bathroom?".

 Nathan replied through muffled sobs "I was scared Max, I was fucking scared! What if my Father found out and ratted me out. I was only trying to scare away her but she was pushing me..." He trails off into ragged sobs again.