A work in progress

Chapter 5

Max looked up nervously. No. No!

Panic rushed in her veins and her breath came out rapidly.  She couldn't be back, she was just away from this place, she was with Chloe. 

Chloe!

"Max? Dear, why do you look so worried?" She froze, statuesque in her appearance. No, no that wasn't him. That man died a long time ago. 

She couldn't help it, she looked up and choked back a sob as her gaze fell upon Williams' kind and gentle face. 

"You look like you've seen a ghost." William said with a laugh, "Come inside, you and Chloe have been playing out here all day, the heat must be getting to you." 

Max looked around, confused and dazed as she saw a younger, blonder Chloe walk inside, eyeing her in confusion and concern. She followed her best friend and sat down at the table, thanking William as he set down a glass of lemonade. 

"You should look at her, she's not looking so well." She looked up and froze.

In a flash of color, the room turned red and cold blue eyes met hers', piercing her soul to the core.

"Is that so?" The man growled, his eyes glowing with malice as he staggered closer to Max. 

"N-No." Max stumbled from her chair and looked towards Chloe for help but the blonde was simply eyeing her in cold contempt. "No, please!" She let out a scream as the man's hand grabbed her hair and tugged her up roughly. 

Tears gathering in her eyes, she stared into the man's blue orbs that were so much like her own. 

"Stop crying!" He demanded, "Or I'll give you something to cry about, you hear me, bitch?!" He roared.

Max let out a choked sob and twisted from his grip and ran. She didn't get very far and she turned in fear as the man followed after her, roaring curses and threats.

As he towered over her, she saw something eerily familiar and a cold stone of dread and fear settled in the pit of her stomach when she recognized the object that he rose in his hand.

A belt.

"NO DAD PLEASE NO!" She let out a yelp and the air left her lungs. Her blue eyes looked around wildly, wondering where she could run to next when the realization set in that this wasn't the Price family home. 

She was in her dorm.

She looked down and blinked. She had fallen on the floor, it seemed. Max picked herself up and tossed her blue blanket onto the bed after she untangled herself from it.  Her head rattled, everything hurt but at least it wasn't from a metal studded belt. 

She drew her gaze to her clock and sighed. She had thirty minutes to kill before it would be 6, the time she set her alarm to, and it would mark her first day of class. She knew with that terrible nightmare still fresh in her mind she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

Speaking of falling, Max looked around in confusion. Chloe had snuck into the dorms with her to hang out with Max before the first day of school started. They had turned on movies and fell asleep, cuddled together on the bed, yet the punk was nowhere to be found. 

That's when she saw a note on her mirror. She grabbed it and smiled at the handwriting that was undoubtedly Chloe.

Hey sorry, Mad Max, I was gonna stick around but I didn't want you to have to deal with me in the morning when you have classes. It was hella awesome to hang out with you again, reminded me of when we were kids, we should balls to the walls do it again soon sometime. Maybe at my place? Anyway, it's 5 in the morning and I'm hella fucking tired so I'm going to hop on outta here- Signed, Captain Chloe.