Angel Of A Morning

Chapter Twelve: Fly High Butterfly

Meanwhile at the lighthouse, Max Caulfield had been battling with her powers over the choices she'd made to get to where she was at. She was well aware that the more she messed with reality, the greater the storm became. Max was given an ultimatum: sacrifice Arcadia Bay and let her best friend live while their home perishes; or to go back in time where it all started and make the decision not to tamper with fate. 

It was a difficult choice but Max had the willpower to do what was right. From her bag, Max took out the blue butterfly photograph she took on the day she got her powers and focused on it. By doing so, Max was taken back in time where there was no storm, no visible chaos and destruction, only the surroundings of the girl's bathroom at Blackwell Academy. Max pressed her back against the outer wall of the end bathroom stall and listened to things unfold.

Tears ran down her eyes as Max listened to the argument lead to death. The fact that she had to experience Chloe's death one last time, it still broke her heart. The sound of the gunshot alerted David, head of security. He burst into the girl's bathroom where he found Nathan panicking over the miserable of Chloe Price. Pain was inflicted upon David once again as he quickly apprehended Nathan by cuffing him and securing him until the police arrived.

Chloe was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nobody knew that Max Caulfield was inside the girl's bathroom at the coincidental occurrence of Chloe's murder, so she was able to avoid more hard-pressing questioning by the authorities who came to incriminate Nathan Prescott. After some time, Max hid herself away in her room where she had dismantled her wall of photographs and looked through each one individually.

Max still had the intention to report to the police about Mr Jefferson and his Dark Room. So when she did, she anonymously tipped David about the information so that an investigation could commence. As a result, at the conclusion of school for the day, every student watched as Mr Jefferson was handcuffed and escorted to a police cruiser where he would be sentenced to prison for the rest of his miserable life.

While others were still focused on Mr Jefferson leaving campus grounds, Max's attention fell onto the new student in her class. The boy with long brown hair remained oblivious to Max's staring at him as he himself was too busy staring at Kate Marsh. A smile broke on Max's face as she nudged Kate who so happened to be standing right beside her at the time and informed her of the boy that seemed to have taken a liking to.

"Why is he looking at me like that, Max?" Kate asked frightfully.

"I think he likes you. Maybe you should go talk to him." Max encouraged.

"What? No! I don't even know him, Max. What if he turns out like Nathan - or if he uses me just so he can--"

"Kate, stop. You're worrying too much. I'm sure he's just a nice guy."

"But how can you be sure?" Kate countered. 

"Kate, listen to me." 

Kate sighed. "I am." 

"Always remember that you're not alone. I've got your back, no matter what happens. So do a lot of people. We all care. We're all here for you. You need to know that." 

A smile broke on Kate's face. The sheer joy she received from Max's positivity and care certainly made her day as well as her week. 

"Aw, Max... That makes me feel so blessed for the first time this week. I don't know what to say." 

"That's okay, neither do I. Maybe we could both use a hug." 

The two embraced in a hug that certainly was just the thing that Kate needed. 

"Thanks. You always know the right thing to do." Kate appraised. 

When the dirty-haired blonde looked over at (Y/n), she caught him staring at her and smiling coyly as he sent a wave her way. Kate's face turned red as she bashfully dropped her head to avoid the urge to stare back at him. The crowd began to disperse when the police sirens wailed and receded into the distance as all of the students awaited further notice from their principal. It came into speculation as to who would now teach Max's photography class. 

Max had noticed that (Y/n) seemed confused about the timetable in his hands. At that moment when Max decided to go and assist the long-haired boy, Kate was abandoned and left in conflict with her thoughts as people went about their daily business, one such that included harassing Kate for her 'porn video'. She grew to hate herself more than her own classmates for the party incident, especially at that point in time as she walked quickly back to her dorm.

The repetitive variety of insults and slander that Kate had to put up with slowly started to become overwhelming - to the point that suicide became her only reasonable explanation for wanting to escape the pain. But in conflict of that, Max's words are her doubt her extreme thought. Once in the confinement if her room, Kate dropped her bag on the floor and laid on her bed, curled up in a ball where she began to cry over the depression she'd felt.

No remorse was shown from any who taunted Kate Marsh for the video in which she got drugged. Those who experienced a similar issue through bullying only shadowed in comparison to the severe harassment Kate felt. And the only person who could most likely prevent another suicidal incident was Max Caulfield, whose good intentions were to be brought and carried out by none other than (Y/n) Donohue - the boy whose fate was tied with Kate's. 

When there was a knock at the door, Kate Marsh had her concentration broken at the sound of her visitor. She was quick to wipe away the tears from her eyes when she got up off her bed to answer the door. To Kate's surprise, her visitor was none other than Victoria Chase. The short-haired woman felt contempt for her past actions but was still willing to go to such lengths that she would apologise to Kate for the harm she brought onto her. 

"Victoria. What are you doing here?" Kate questioned icily.

Victoria fumbled in her place and fiddled with her fingers in discomfort of the relentless thought that she was a co-perpetrator in going against somebody who only wished to bring others one step closer to Heaven, somebody who was reaching the brink of suicide.

"Hi, Kate. Listen, I know I'm the last person you're expecting to come see you right now, but I just wanted to... to apologise - that is something I hope that you'll do for me right now - for the way I've treated you." Victoria began as her nerves settled in all the more with her unsettling glare.

Kate continued to stare at her, studying her body language and the tone in her voice. She wasn't sure whether to believe her or not.

"Posting that video wasn't really my first idea, but we just had too much to drink and the video got out. I'm sorry, Kate. But now that I think that when you're trying to promote your little good deed of trying to get people to repent and all that crap, it just seems like a stupid excuse for the trouble I brought you. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? Let bygones be bygones?" 

Kate wanted to hate her. All she wanted was to slam the door in her face but it was Kate's better nature that reached out to her. 

"I'll forgive you if you take down the video, Victoria. If you can get others to do the same, then I'll put our differences aside; for good." 

"Sounds good to me. See you 'round, Kate." 

It seemed too good to be true that Victoria Chase was calling for a truce. Kate was suspicious - for very good reasons - but she dismissed the thought from her mind and closed the door to her room while she sought the company of her pet rabbit, Alice. At her desk, Kate checked social media and found that nobody posted anything mentioning her or on her main media page. To Kate's surprise, the new face in her class had sent her a friend request.