The Only

The Survivor's Club

Max always kept a change of clothes in the trunk of the Subaru for herself, Chloe, and the toddler, and after squirming around in the grass and mud, they needed to change to avoid soiling the interior. Their soggy garments were also starting to become uncomfortable, so getting out of them was somewhat of a priority.

After changing, the girls had climbed inside the vehicle; Chloe in the driver's seat and Max in the passengers. Before cranking up and hitting the road, Ryan's phone call came through taking precedence of the pair's attention.

"Destiny's missing!" Ryan shouted, prompting Max to pivot the phone several inches away from the side of her face. "She was here, now she's gone!"

"She's... missing... gone?! Dad, what the fuck is happening?" She noticed her wife rapidly spin her head to the side, in her direction, with widened eyes and a straightened back at full attention.

"Dammit. Never mind. I swear, she wasn't here a second ago; now she's right here. I-I don't know." Max dropped her arm down, holding the phone outward, and set it to the speaker option so her wife could take part in the conversation too.

"Ryan," Chloe urgently began with a sharpness in her voice, "what are you talking about? Is Destiny okay?"

"Yeah, she's good. I sat her in the playroom with her toys, went to the bathroom, and then she was gone when I came back. I know she didn't leave the room because the child gate between the room and the hallway is still up, and I searched the whole damn place for ten minutes. I grabbed my phone and called you. When I walked back in just now, she was sitting in the floor playing with her She-Ra doll. Sorry to alarm you."

"Where's Mom?" Max asked, frustrated, after catching a glance of understanding from the girl in the driver's seat, confirming the pair was thinking the same thing. It was a scary thought knowing about their daughter's ability, and if she was starting to time travel, they probably needed to pick her up as soon as possible as to not expose her power any further. Max could only imagine the looks on her parents' faces if they ever witnessed Destiny's ability.

"She's out with her friends at a wine and painting... thingy, and won't be back until later this evening. By the way, when are you coming to pick up your daughter? She misses you two, ya know."

"We'll get there at about bedtime," Chloe matter-of-factly responded. "We miss her too. Headed that way now."

"I'm going to get her a snack and a fresh water. You know how she is; if she doesn't have fresh ice clinking around in her cup, she says it's old and won't drink it." Ryan let out a heartfelt chuckle. "See you girls soon. Love you."

"Love you too, Dad." Max ended the call then plugged her phone into the car charger and set it on the middle console near the gearshift.

"Damn," Chloe grumbled. "Looks like we're gonna hafta keep a close eye on the rug rat now. If she's time traveling as a toddler, the next few years are gonna be hella wild. Crazy shit if she left and didn't know how to get back."

"Yeah, babe, but we know she's safe as a teenager, so everything must work out fine. Honestly, I'm more worried about anyone finding out about her ability. I still think about that religious zealot asshole who would have shot her if you hadn't intervened." Max reached over and put a hand on her wife's shoulder who, in response, smacked an air kiss then blew in her direction.

Not two minutes after hanging up with her father, Max's cell phone buzzed again because of a text message. She picked it up and saw Victoria's message at the top.

Victoria: OMG!! YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHO I JUST RAN INTO!!!

Max: Whoa. Who?

Victoria: Meet me at the lighthouse! It's a surprise!