Life is Strange: The Graham Theory

Episode 3: Methodology [PART ONE]

The night sky was clear, as a cool October wind blew through campus. The buzz of the outdoor lights hummed within earshot from where Warren sat. It was past curfew, but the anticipation of getting away from it all excited him. The thought of slipping through the gates, away from the prying eyes of David Madsen and Principal Wells, gave him a rush of well needed sudden euphoria.

Warren went back to his room and slipped his shoes back on, before leaving his room again. He stepped out into the crisp air. It was near midnight, and a million different thoughts filled his head. The first thing that came to mind was his mother... and the incident.
"I never really took a step back and looked at the whole situation from a third view..." He whispered to himself, as he cautiously made his way to the front of campus and left through the gates on foot. Using his car was a major giveaway, and with David Madsen being paranoid and all, he would've been punished- or worse, castrated- on sight.
The night sky was peppered with tiny pinpricks of light in the sky, illuminating the blank dark canvas that was above Warren. He found himself fascinated with the nighttime display, appreciating the clear view of the constellations and the moon as he crossed the street and away from campus.
Before he realised it, he was stood on the hill that was home to Arcadia Bay's lighthouse. Warren spotted a bench that looked out at the bay and sat down on it. He watched as the waves of the sea licked against the cliffs and how the water glimmered in the moonlight. For the first time since the death of his mother, he felt complete serenity. It was something that he had needed, seeing as the previous events of the week had him shaken. 
The waves lapped on the rocks below, delivering a constant sound of almost hypnotic sweeping. He felt his eyelids heavy and his head bow as he began to fall asleep. Moments later, his head shot up. The wind was picking up and blowing leaves everywhere. It was starting to get colder as Autumn was progressing and Winter was fast approaching. Feeling the Autumnal chill, Warren stood up and turned away, walking down the hill. He stopped in his tracks, however, when a familiar dull pain returned. His eye pulsated in agony as he clutched at his face. He took a step forward, when a piece of paper flew and got stuck to his shoe. Warren moved his hand away from his face and picked up the paper. It was A4 and slightly damp in patches. He turned around and froze in fear.
It was a missing person's poster.
And it was of Rachel Amber.
"Rachel?" Warren spluttered in fear. "She's not missing! I-I saw her!" He stared in disbelief before the sudden realisation kicked in. This was the other universe. He sighed, although he couldn't shake the disbelief from his system.

"I wonder what happened to her... I hope she's okay." Warren quietly spoke to himself. He folded up the poster and put it in his pocket.  He gazed around him at his surroundings. "I best get back home. I'll show this to the others when I get back."
He hastily walked back to Blackwell Academy and slipped through the front door of Prescott Dormitory. He opened his bedroom door and sank down on the bed. He looked towards his cork board. It was bare. No notes or articles about his mother.
"Mom... You must be still alive here." Warren muttered underneath his breath. He took out his mobile phone and looked at the text messages. The first one was from his mother. It read:

'Hi Son! Hope you're having the best time at Blackwell! Your father and I are so proud of you getting into a higher level! Toph is over the moon too! I know he can't wait to get home and have you tell him all about it! Stay safe and I hope you come visit all of us when you get the chance. Love you. Mom. xxx'

Warren grinned. He knew his mother would write something like this. He looked at the next message. It was from his brother, Toph.

'Hey there, Renny. I'll be home in a few weeks so be sure you go home and see me then because I'll be deployed to a pretty risky area and you never know what happens. Dad has been pestering me to get in touch with you about it and for good reason. You better be there, Warren, or I'll fight ya'!  Anyway, I hope you're looking forward to seeing the best big brother ever. Stay safe. See you later, buddy.' 

Warren couldn't help but scoff out loud. "It's been some time since you called me Renny, Christopher." He giggled to himself. He scrolled further down to see another familiar name.
Max Caulfield.
"Max." He spoke aloud, as he tapped on her name. He looked at the last message log, when his phone buzzed in his hand. He looked at the notification card. 
Max messaged you.
Warren scrolled down and read the message:

'Hey Warren. Kinda random but how do you make an explosive from everyday items found in a science lab?'

Warren stared at the message in disbelief and confusion. Why would Max want to make a bomb?
The penny eventually dropped.
Chloe.
Warren sighed and picked his phone up to reply back.

'Now pay attention, 007. You have to find FOUR objects:
1. Sugar
2. A Soda Can
3. Duct Tape
4. Sodium Chlorate.
Here's how you'll do it! Any questions?'

Warren quickly drew an almost dreadful looking diagram on his phone and sent it to Max. He awaited her reply, which come quite hastily.

'Sodium Chlor-wtf?' She had no idea what Warren was talking about.
Warren shook his head and typed back, whilst she replied in a matter of urgency.

'It's a powder that is used to create Chlorine Dioxide.'  He explained.

'Shit, EVERYBODY knows that.'

'So you really going to try this?'

'Key word is try. I bow to your wisdom.'  She replied back.

Warren nodded. He sat and waited about ten minutes, reflecting on every possibility on why Max needed to create an explosive, before he returned to his phone. 'You still there? Did you blow up? Max?' Warren's mind filled with ungodly scenarios at this point, when his phone did an all so familiar buzz. 
Max was still alive, thankfully.

'Still here. Didn't blow up, not yet. I need to concentrate now, TTYL.' She replied.
Warren read it and placed his phone on his bedside table and sank into bed. He lasted as much as eight minutes refraining from messaging, before he picked up his phone again and began typing.

'So did you blow the lock, Unabomber?'

She replied back straight away. 'Oh please, just wanted to see if you knew your explosives- and your incredible art work.' She mocked.
Warren laughed, shaking his head as he switched his phone off. He didn't believe that one bit. He sank into bed and closed his eyes, falling asleep instantly. 

He woke up to the sound of his alarm blaring, which he turned off straight away and sat up. He stared straight ahead at his cork board. His notes and snippets from his mother's murder were back on the wall. He had returned back to his original universe.
He got dressed and left his dorm, almost running into Hayden, who paused and grinned at him. He reeked of weed. 
"You look better." Hayden pointed out.

Warren smiled gently. "Thanks, I'm doing my best."
"If you ever need a chill then I'm your man. Look after yourself." Hayden told him, before disappearing back into his room.
"You too."
Warren left his dorms and walked around the corner, when he bumped into a familiar person. Rachel.
Rachel took a step back. "Whoa. Sorry! I didn't see you there-"
"Rachel!" Warren interrupted. "I-I thought..." His words trailed off in hesitation. He couldn't tell her she was missing in an alternate timeline. That was too weird. 
"Warren? Is something wrong?" Rachel asked him.
"Never mind. I got the wrong person." Warren looked at the floor and mumbled. "See you later, I have to run."
"Wait." Rachel spoke out. "Is everything okay? I know Chloe is worried about you and at first I thought she was overreacting but I kinda see why."
"I'm fine." Warren lied once again. "I'm just losing sleep for no reason and getting real clumsy. You take care, Rachel." He told her, before walking away.
It would be a lot harder for him to tell everyone than he thought.