The Calm Before The Storm

At A Glance

~Chloe~

I take a long drag on my cigarette, staring off into the dark abyss that is the woods. I make rings with my smoke but it fades almost immediately in the warm night air. I'm standing on the porch outside of the cabin alone, with only the crickets and Blue to keep me company. After about a two or three hour talk, Max decided to turn in for the night... she was exhausted. I wasn't sure at first if she should go to sleep at first, I mean. But I know that she'll be alright... she always is... always. Anyways, Blue lays quietly at my feet, her tail swaying softly as she sleeps. Her ears perk up and I jump a little hearing as something shuffles around behind me. "Relax... it's just me" Max says, shutting the sliding door behind her. I sigh and turn back around, continuing to stare out into the vast emptiness. "I thought you were asleep," I say quietly as she comes up beside me. "And I thought you quit," Max replies, reaching up and taking the cigarette from my mouth and sticking it into hers. I look down at her in bewilderment, "What are you doing?" I ask, surprised by her action. "I was about to ask you the same thing". I sigh and turn away. When I don't reply Max leans up and blows smoke in my face, "Tell me what's wrong and you might just get this back". I smile a bit and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her to my side. "Why don't you tell me about the voice? I-I coulda helped". "Sure, you coulda totally helped. Having your dead former lover's voice in my head is totally something you can understand" Max says sarcastically, shifting away when I try and grab my cigarette back, "Chloe, I didn't know it was...'her'... until tonight. I get the whole, 'Punishment for my actions' but... I'm still tripping out trying to understand why she was quote/unquote 'Haunting me'". "I might," I reply softly. "You might what?" She asks, confused. "Know why she'd do this to you... I mean, I constantly tell you that the only reason I 'loved' Rachael was because she reminded me of you... that's really fucked up on my part. *Sigh* Okay, so... do you remember when we were on the beach... right before you passed out?". Max nods, "Sorta". That part of her memory is still sorta fuzzy since she just came out of a trance and passed out moments later. "Remember how I said something about revenge? Rachael's revenge? Maybe the tornado was her revenge...on me. The more we looked for her... the closer me and you became and the more I wanted to be... with you. That gave her all the more reason to fuck with your head". Max looks down and frowns a bit, "Go on". "*sigh* whenever I talk about her," I say, thankful that it isn't often, "I make her seem like this amazing person, but... in truth... she wasn't, like... at all. Rachael was greedy, manipulative and really self-centered. I mean, she had her moments but... *sigh*". I gesture her to sit on one of the deck chairs. She nods and passes me back the cigarette, flattening out her oversized button up plaid shirt (which is actually mine) as she sits. I sit with her and close my eyes for a second, "You... you said she wanted to 'return' the favor by breaking my heart? Well, that's Rachael ya, sweetheart one minute, backstabber the next". "And that reminds you of me how?" Max asks with a raised eyebrow. "Like I said, she wanted to be a model and you a photographer... and the first few months of our relationship... when we were just starting out as friends, Rachael and I were inseparable... like we were," I stop and look up at Max, wondering if I should continue. She gives me a small smile, letting me know that it's okay. I sigh and grab her hand, pulling her to my side, " I never told Rachael about you... I never planned to. She was the type of person who would try and live up to a person and try and replace them... but, one day... while she was snooping around my room, Rachael stumbled across some old polaroids from when we were kids. She had started asking me a whole bunch of questions about you, asking who you were and what you meant to me. So, I told her... it felt good to talk to someone about all of the adventures we went on... it felt good to talk about you in general. I kinda felt... closer to you... almost like you'd never left at all,". Suddenly, I'm aware that I'm crying, 'Come on, Chloe... keep it together'. "You can stop if you don't want to talk about it anymore," Max says as we both lay back. Blue trots over when she realizes we've moved and lays in the empty chair beside us. Max leans up and rests her head on my chest, placing her head over my heart. I nod and sniffle a bit, pulling her even closer. "Max?" I breath out, "One last question". "I'm all ears" she replies with a small yawn. "A few days after you woke up from the whole lighthouse thing... when we...our ... *ahem* 'First time'?... Was... was that, 'You' you?". Look Max gives me is one of hurt but she knows I have the right to question all our romantic interactions. "It was me... it always has been and it always will be me" she says calmly. I turn away, sorry that I doubted her... but I just had to know. "Do you think it will happen again, the whole possession thing, I mean?". Max shakes her head, "No... I- I think I've paid my 'Price'... uh, no pun intended... but *sigh* I think you're right... m- maybe I do need to talk to someone... about everything". I sit up a little, surprised, "Really?". "Yeah,". That's a big step for Max, being open about the things she's seen and heard... felt. "David?" I ask. "David," she replies. My stepfather might be one of the only other people besides me that she can talk to. We don't talk much more after that, seeing no need to exchange any more words or thoughts. We just curl up beside each other, sharing the last few puffs of my cigarette and staring off into the clear night sky.