I haven't left my room in days. My parents texted me every morning, yet I haven't read anything they've sent me. Not even their postcards that keep piling up on my desk. After Chloe's funeral I haven't found it in myself to even move. I can't even think of her without shedding a tear. I know saving Arcadia Bay was the "better" choice, but only if I could save everyone. I haven't used my power since then. I don't want to cause another fucking storm, knowing this could happen all over again. I can't save everyone all the time, learning from Chloe, I'm just going to have to let nature take its course. I don't want to be involved with anyone or anything. Sometimes I even regret saving Arcadia, but I know Chloe would rather save her mom than herself.
I heard a knock on the door. "Come in..." I sounded hoarse. I threw my hood over my head and Warren walked in. I don't have the heart to even talk to him yet. "Hey, Warren, I..."
"I know, but you should." He sounded frustrated yet calm. I know he cares, but I can't talk to him right now, especially about my power, since it caused all this shit. I know I've told him once before, but that was before I went back in time to save Arcadia Bay.
"I...I can't. Yet..." I don't know if he heard me. I said it more to myself than I did outloud.
"You don't have to. But, Max, it might help."
"I just don't know what to say, or even do. How do I live with this?" I didn't want him to see me cry, but I couldn't help myself. The tears dripped from my eyes like waterfalls. "My best friend is dead! How am I supposed to live with myself knowing that I could've done something? Anything!?"
"Max, what could you have done?"
"I..." I paused, "...I don't know..." All I knew was that using my rewind wouldn't have stopped that tornado. "...just something." Instead, I sat there, feeling sorry for Chloe and myself. What did Chloe do when Rachel went missing?
Warren sat next to me on my bed and wrapped his arms around me. I pulled my head to his chest, getting tears on his shirt. "Everything will be okay." He whispered in my ear, "It has to be. You are the bravest person I've ever known. Don't ever stop being brave, Max Caulfield." Not that what he said didn't make me feel better, which it did, even if it did sound a little corny, I just wasn't in the mood.
He pulled off my hood and ran his fingers through my short, brown, hair, which desperately needed brushing, yet he didn't seem to mind. He never did. "I'm glad you're still here with me."
"It's nice to hear that from you. Do you think you'll be coming back to school tomorrow? Or is it still too soon?" He paused, "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have asked."
"It's okay, but, I don't know, Warren." I really should go back. It's almost been a week since Chloe's funeral and I don't think sitting here is going to help me get better, but maybe being with Warren, Kate, and everyone else will make me feel better. "Maybe I will go back."
"Good," he spoke with slight joy, "I want you to stop sheltering yourself." I smiled at him. I really needed to talk to him today, I guess. He makes me feel so much better on days like this. Why didn't I let him in sooner? Now I feel terrible. Well, more terrible than before. He let me out of his grasp and lifted himself off of the bed. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Yeah." I looked down at my knees, wiping my teary eyes. I'm sure lots of people have it worse than me, but personally, it feels like I've been to hell and back.
+++
That night I decided to take a quick shower. I needed one badly anyways. I walked through the silent hallway in the dormitory. I better go quick and, hopefully, not bitch about life because it's almost curfew and I didn't want to get in trouble for not being in my dorm because of showering, which has sadly already happened before. I walk into the bathroom and instantly felt the cold tile on my bare feet. I walked into one of the showers and closed the curtain. I could hear Juliet and Dana walking in so they could brush their teeth. I usually don't mind showering in cold water, so I didn't bother them. I took off my t-shirt and sweatpants and started the water which made Dana and Juliet jump.
"Who's in here?" Dana freaked.
"It's just me." I didn't yell at them like I usually would, but not in a rude way. I didn't want to bother them.
"Max?" Dana replied.
"Yeah..." They didn't say anything else and were careful with the faucet so the shower water didn't get too cold.
When I finished I still saw Dana and Juliet near the sink. What are they doing? I dressed myself and opened the curtain.
"Are, um, you okay Max?" Dana sounded worried, but she didn't have to be. I'm not the one who got shot.
"Sorta."
"'Sorta' isn't fine with me Max. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, Max." Juliet jumped in.
"Um, I will be." I blinked my tears away. I didn't need them to watch me cry.
"Max, you know that we're here for you, right?" Dana was always appreciative when it came to things like this. She always seemed to know what to say.
"I know."
"Are you coming back to school tomorrow?" Juliet asked. Dana elbowed Juliet in the bicep and gave her a stare that simply seemed to say: SHUT THE FUCK UP! She was never subtle, that's for sure.
I responded, "I am."
"Are you ready for that yet? I know it hurts to lose someone you really care about." Dana just had to bring that up didn't she?
"I'll be okay. I'm gonna go back to my dorm. I'll, uh, see you both tomorrow." I hurried away, trying not to seem to eager. As I ran down the hallway I heard Kate shriek. I went towards her dorm and she bolted out of the room.
"Max!" she yelled as she ran closer.
"Kate, what's wrong? What's going on?"
"What the hell is all that noise!?" Victoria came out of her room. And just as I thought things were going to get better the whole dorm started to glow red. What is going on now? Why does this keep happening to me? To everyone?
"That's what happened to my room! What's going on?" Kate seemed terrified, she wouldn't move from where she stood. The red glow looked familiar. It was the same glow that I saw when I went back in time through pictures, though this time it was spreading. I ran to the nearest window and everything outside disappeared as the red glow took over. What is going on? This wasn't because of me. It couldn't have been, I haven't gone back in time since Chloe asked me too...
Before I knew it the whole room turned red. Then white. The voices stopped and I couldn't think straight. The light started to fade away and I couldn't cope with what was happening. The first voice I heard was one I hoped to never hear again. Mr. Jefferson's.
"Alfred Hitchcock famously called film 'little pieces of time' but he could be talking about photography, as he likely was." This again? How did I end up back here AGAIN? What the hell is going on? Kate was once again being harassed. I can't stand to go through this again. Chloe. How am I supposed to live through this week again knowing I can't save Chloe? I hate listening to Mr. Jefferson's voice right now, because all I can hear now is what he said to me while I was trapped in his bunker, and that has traumatized me so much I don't even want to look at that man. What confused me is that it looked like I was able to leave the room. But then again, it wasn't me who traveled back in time.
"Now, Max," Mr. Jefferson startled me and I jumped, "since you've captured our interest and clearly want to join the conversation, can you please tell us the name of the process that gave birth to the first self-portraits?" I didn't bother to say anything, or even pack up my things. I ran out of there as fast as possible. "Miss Caulfield?!" That was the last thing I heard him say after I left, which was perfectly was fine with me. I didn't really know where I was trying to go, all I know is I wanted to get away from here. I left the building and darted towards the parking lot. I stopped. Chloe's truck was there. I heard the school bell go off and I knew there was nothing I could do now, because she would've already made it to the building by now. At least that's how it happened before, but this time seemed different. The driver's door on her car was open. When I moved closer I found her on the ground. I got worried, and made the stupid decision to make sure she was okay. She was going to die anyway so why did I bother? Did this happen before she went up to Blackwell to meet up with Nathan? What happened?
"Chloe! Chloe it's Max, can you hear me?" Her eyes were dilated, she was breathing but she was so out of it. "Chloe, please wake up."
"Max," Oh, thank God, she's okay, "Where... where are we? What the fuck is going on?"
"Are you okay?"
"That doesn't answer my question, but not really."
"We're in the Blackwell parking lot. Chloe, are you sure you're okay?"
"But... how?" She seemed so confused. Did I screw this up already? "Max, I... I thought I died..."
"What? When? Chloe, what's going on?"
"Dude, I swear I was just in there! I... I got shot by that prick, Nathan Prescott." She remembers. How does she remember? "Max, did you play around with time again?"
"No, I swear! How do you remember what happened?"
"I don't know! All I remember is getting shot... and..."
"What, Chloe? You can tell me."
"All I remember after that is ... seeing a bright light. Then I swear I saw..."
"What? What did you see?"
"Rachel," She seemed so scared, yet relieved, "I saw Rachel. God, I didn't know what was happening, and it's so hard to remember. I saw this red glow and... I ended up in my truck. I didn't know how I got here or where I was. I opened the door and fell out. I was so out of it I must've fainted."
"Chloe I'm so sorry. I promise that I won't let it happen to you again." That was stupid. This is what caused the storm. I don't want to go through this again, but Chloe means too much. "Wait, Chloe. How do you know that I can rewind time?" I didn't tell her until we were at the lighthouse after I had another vision the day I saved her.
"I... I don't know." She looked as if she knew something I didn't and I wanted her to tell me desperately. "Max, I think I remember what happened before Nathan shot me."
"What do you remember?"
"I told you to go back. I wanted you to go back and let that asshat shoot me. You saved my mom."
"How do you remember all of this?"
"I think... Rachel told me."
"What do you mean? How did she tell you?"
"After I 'died' she told me that you went back in time to save everyone from the storm. You saved my mom!"
"You don't hate me do you?"
"Of course not. Max, you're a hero."
"How am I a hero if I somehow got us stuck in a time loop?"
"This was not your fault. Someone else is doing this. You didn't give yourself this power, someone else gave it to you."
"I guess that gives us another mystery to solve, huh?"
"Have you used your power at all since I, you know, 'died'?"
"No. I don't even know if I still have it."
"I guess there's only one way to find out." She lifted herself off the ground and headed towards the school.
"Chloe, please don't do anything stupid."
"Chill out dude, I'm only testing your rewind." She picked up a stone on the ground and tossed it around in her hand. She looked around and stopped as she saw a squirrel running past. She began to aim.
"Chloe, don't!"
"Why? Don't you want to see if your powers still work?"
"I do, but I don't. Using it is what caused the storm. And I don't want you killing an innocent creature just to see if my rewind still works."
"Fine, okay. Just try to see if it works. And I promise I won't kill the stupid squirrel."
"Chloe..."
"We won't know until you try."
"Fine." I got so nervous, mostly because if it did work, we were going to cause another storm. With slight hesitation, I held up my hand and concentrated. Nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing. "It's gone." I was somewhat relieved, but also concerned. Either whoever, or whatever, took it back or someone else, as clueless as me, has it.
"Okay, well, that just means we have to be careful."
"Jefferson." I said, half to myself, "Chloe, where's David?"
"Inside."
"We have to tell him about Mr. Jefferson! Now!" We left right away. Chloe knew what was going on, which was weird. What concerned me more is she somehow saw Rachel. Whatever was going on couldn't be good, and now without a rewind power, if someone gets hurt there's nothing I can do.