Dual POV
This story starts off right after Max made the choice to sacrifice Arcadia Bay, leaving only her and Chloe as survivors. Without anywhere else to go, the duo hit the open road, desperate to run away from their past. Life is hard, and over t...
I basically kick down the door when I finally get home. I'm holding Max in my arms like a child, she's wrapped up in the spare blanket we keep in the truck but I can still feel her shaking. I run upstairs, Blue hot at my heels. "Max... Max! Max, can you hear me?" I ask anxiously, sitting her on the bed. She nods ever so slightly but doesn't reply, she just flops over and curls herself into a tight ball. Blue jumps up beside her, whining and nuzzling her limp hand. "I'm okay, I'm okay" she whispers. Mom comes rushing in with another blanket and a damp rag which she places on Max's forehead. She squirms away when the cold compress touches her warm skin, "I'm...okay" she mutters again. "Hush," Joyce says, "Don't talk, you need to rest". Blue lifts her head and places it on Max's chest and she instantly stops struggling and relaxes. "Chloe, what happened, where did you find her?" Mom asks, throwing the extra blanket over Max and the dog. When I don't reply, she turns to me and sees me sitting on the ground, my face buried in my hands, crying like a baby. I'm so fucking scared, I- I don't know what to do... I can't lose her... not again... not for good. Mom kneels down in front of me and forces me to look at her. "Chloe, I need you to focus, I need you to stay with me, You can't give up... She needs you". I peer over at Max, her breathing is quick her eyes closed, making it impossible to tell if she's even conscious. I blink away my tears and nod, "For Max". Joyce sighs with relief and helps me get up, "Good girl... now, I need you to go get some fever pills from the first-aid kit in the garage and a glass of water. We need to get this fever down". "Y-yes ma'am," I say, making my way out of the room. "And call Ryan... he's going to want to know about this".
I almost run into David on my downstairs, he must have just gotten home. "What's wrong with you?" he asks, seeing my panicked expression. "It's Max" I reply plainly, pushing past him. He gives me a sympathetic look but doesn't meddle any further. I'm still not sure how David really feels about Max, I mean, he really didn't like it when he found her hiding in my closet or when she took the heat for my drugs. I sigh and push those thought out of my mind, focusing on getting the things for Max. I find the first-aid kit fairly quick and grab a handful of pills, not really sure how many we'll be needing. 'She's going to be okay, Chloe... she always is' I tell myself as I pour a glass of water with shaky hands. I still don't get how she could have misinterpreted her vision. I mean, they seem pretty straightforward to me, you see something and you do something to fix it. Then again, it's nearly impossible for her to explain what she saw. Dammit... we should have never come back to this shit-pit. I'm so selfish... I never stopped to think about what coming back to the Bay would do to Max psychologically. Everything that could have gone wrong... has. In Arcadia Bay, bad things happen to good people.
When I finally get back to the room, Max is tucked under a thinner sheet and dressed in dry clothes. She coughs painfully and fidgets a bit, mumbling something inaudible under her breath. I hand Mom the glass and pill which she sets aside. "I-is she going to be okay?" I ask, sitting on the edge of the bed. Joyce sighs and nods, "i- I think the worst of it is over, but...." She hesitates to continue, which scares me shitless. "But?" I urge. "Max keeps muttering things... things about the storm... about you...a...'Dark Room', Chloe, did something happen to her during the storm? There's something different about Max, I can feel it... I think Blue can too," Mom says, gesturing towards the dog who is still pressed tightly against Max, whining softly. I sigh deeply and brush a few stray hairs out of my partner's closed eyes. "A lot happened to us that week," I reply quietly, "I just never thought we'd be able to tell anyone without them thinking we're crazy... but, I guess...*sigh* I guess you deserve to know. You and David... you should know everything... starting from the beginning".
And so I tell them... I tell them everything, sparing no detail of those five days. I start with Max saving me in the girl's bathroom and ending where our story began... on the cliff. It's hard you know, remembering it all, especially Rachael. Mom and David both knew we had something going on between us, and for them to find out that Max's professor, a man David always suspected to be behind something, was essentially her killer... hurts. I've always had it set in my mind that... perhaps I was never really 'in love' with Rachael. I mean, sure I loved her... but... I don't think what we had was real...*ahem* Anyways, Max's powers are the hardest to explain, that and the fact that technically, I'm supposed to be dead. Mom shakes her head in disbelief and David... well, David just stares blankly at the floor. "H-How is this possible?" Joyce finally asks. "I don't know, That's the one thing we never figured out... Why Max has these powers and what they're for... well, besides for keeping my ungrateful ass alive". I turn to David who still hasn't said a word. "David?" I say quietly. He looks up at me, eyes filled with guilt. "If.. if it weren't for you... Max wouldn't be here right now- I wouldn't be here. I-I can't thank you enough for that, " I lean in and hug him, "I'm sorry for all the times I was a complete asshole to you, even if you were a total prick to me... you don't deserve that. I-I know I haven't been the best step-daughter but, I-I want to. You're not William and frankly you never will be, but... you are my Dad, " I say quietly, "It's about time I started treating you like one". David hugs me back and bursts into tears. Mom does too and joins the hug. For the first time in 5 years, it feels like we're a family again.
I walk back into the room and find it's nice and warm, as it should be. For the past 2 ½ hours, Max has been slipping in and out of consciousness. Thankfully, her fever has gone down, but, it's still pretty high. I know I should be making sure she's hydrated and shit like that, but I take a moment and slip under the covers with her. She smiles when she realizes my presence, "Hiya, Max" I whisper. She doesn't respond, of course, but she does absently scoot closer to me, placing her head on my chest. That is by far the cutest thing I've ever seen her do. I-it's odd, you know... being so physically close to someone who's so mentally far away. I close my eyes and let the sounds of the night relax me. Somewhere within the room, a cricket chirps a soft lullaby, snow falls quietly against the window panes, Max's soft rhythmic breathing, The light click click of Blue's nails tapping against the wood floors from somewhere inside the house. I yawn and hold Max tightly, "I'm never letting go".
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