Chapter Text
‘“Max… I’ll always be with you.” Chloe said in a strangled voice. She came up beside me, our eyes locked on the raging storm.
“Forever…” I forced, all the energy and air sucked from my lungs. We stood for a brief moment, absorbing the intensity of the storm ahead of us. I felt Chloe’s hand grab mine, hers surprisingly calm in my shaking one. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her as the tornado reached the shore.
After a moment of horror, I finally tore my gaze away, reaching over and burying myself into Chloe’s arms. Tears came hot and quick; I hoped Chloe couldn’t hear me crying over the storm. I wondered if she could ever forgive me for what I’ve done.
After what felt like a lifetime, Chloe finally pushed me away from her. Her hands remained chained to my shoulders. She had that desperate look on her face again, her eyebrows turned up slightly and that worried pout painted there. Her fingers clutched to my sweatshirt. She took a few deep gasping breaths before trying to speak-’
“Yeah, that’s right, asshole! I’m all she’s got so let me in!”
My dream - or thoughts - and the black unconscious began to run together, this voice invading my brain. This familiar, rich, harsh voice. I felt like I had heard it a thousand times over in a thousand different lifetimes. I could “feel” myself being hurled towards something - I was on the edge on consciousness. I forced my heavy eyelids open.
The room was dimly lit but the off-white color of the walls kept it from feeling dark. Beeping came from a machine next to me, slow and steady. I tried moving my arms but they felt weighed down. Finally getting my brain to focus, I registered the soft but uncomfortable bed my body was glued to.
I squeezed my eyes shut, panic crawling into my chest. I racked my brain for some sort of explanation, but the only thing that came to mind was the dream I had before waking up. Anything and everything else was lost to me.
Who am I, where am I, and what the hell happened?
Another loud yell from the hallway. It was the voice from before, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I could see shadows moving across the window on the door. Once it was quiet again, I chanced sitting up. It made my head throb and my vision go black for a second.
The panic started to set in again. On one hand, a part of me felt like I shouldn’t be panicking, like I subconsciously understood what was going on. On the other hand, I had to fight down the urge to run and find something familiar, anything familiar. That blue haired girl came back to mind, the desperation she had seared into my brain. I wanted to badly to reach out to her.
Just as I thought about getting up to find her somehow, the door flung open with a loud bang on the wall. Startled, my eyes snapped up to the intruder. The phrase “speak of the devil” came to mind, although my mind told me “angel” fit her better. I felt my face burn at that thought.
The blue haired girl from my dream stood before me. It seemed to take a moment for her mind to register that I was actually here, alive and breathing. She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she exhaled. Her eyebrows turned upwards in a sort of pain I couldn’t understand. She took a couple shaky steps towards me, her hands fidgeting.
“Max, oh my god.” She breathed before closing the gap between her and the bed and me. Her arms were wrapped around me in lightening speed in a hug that told me she never wanted to let me go again. Unsure of how to react, I chose to awkwardly pat her on the back.
“Max, I thought I really lost you this time. I’m so glad you’re here, god I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” She rambled, a few strangled sobs escaping her as she held onto me tighter. I finally wrapped my own arms around her, squeezing half as hard. She cried for a moment before suddenly pushing herself away from me. Her cheeks were stained bright red as she brushed the tears away from her face.
“Oh man, that’s totally not cool. I-I’m sorry, Max, I’m just gonna go have a quick cry real quick.” She said with a strangled laugh. She pointed towards the door, pushing herself up from the bed. A sharp sting of panic shot through me.
“Wait!” I screeched, reaching out and roughly grabbing her hand. She halted in her steps, eyes wide and concerned. She slumped back down to the bed, sitting a bit closer to me this time.
“What is it, Max?”
Max.
It finally clicked in my head that that was my name. Another sting of panic came, not quite as sharp this time. How am I supposed to explain to her I don’t have a fucking clue what’s going on? It’s obvious that I meant something to her… a great deal of something. I felt tears prickle at my uncertainty.
“What… what’s going on?” I heard myself mumble. Way to go, Max. That makes a great deal of sense. I tore my eyes away from her, her nervous eyes making me nervous. She let out a shaky laugh.
“Max, what do you mean? Damn, I know you hit your head pretty hard, but not that hard, right?” She questioned with a forced smile.
“Hit… my head?” I heard myself trail, reaching up to my head and feeling around. All of my hair appeared to be intact. At least I didn’t have to worry about a goofy hair cut. I saw all of the color drain from her face as she took a step back off the bed and away from me. She had a new sort of horror written all over her.
“Do you know who I am?” She asked, her voice laced with hurt. I sputtered, my brain working at lightning speed to find the right words. Nothing helpful came to mind. How can you comfort someone you don’t know?
“No - I mean yes - well kind of. You’re the only thing I-”
“Chloe Price! Chloe fucking Price! I’ve been your best friends for ages! All the shit you’ve been through this week, how can you just forget that? How can you forget me?!” Chloe exploded, tears coming hot and quick. Her shouting startled me, causing me to flinch. She noticed that, quickly looking away from me. Chloe buried her face in her hands, sobs seeping through her fingers.
“Chloe… Chloe I’m sorry.” I murmured, all hope of comforting her gone.
“Max… Max….” Chloe mumbled in between sobs. I couldn’t tell if she was crying from grief or anger anymore. A couple of moments went by, figuring it would be best to just let her cry. With a wet sigh, she finally tore her hands away from her face. The tears were still coming.
I pushed myself closer to her, fighting the urge to wrap an arm around her. Something told me it might not be a good idea right now. I so desperately wanted to take away the pain. Nothing I could do would help.
“What… what do you remember?” Chloe choked, wiping the tears away from her face. I met her icey eyes, anger and concern gauged in them. I lost my words for a second.
“I… I remember… standing on a cliff with you… an enormous storm was happening… and I tore this picture in half but I don’t understand why. I remember… I remember thinking you wouldn’t forgive me for whatever I did wrong…” I fought for words, feeling awkward with my description. I saw Chloe’s eyes gain focus and more anger at my last part. Maybe I shouldn’t of said that to her. She tore her gaze away from me, her legs becoming restless and hands fidgeting.
“You mean… you don’t remember why we were there.” Chloe said. It was phrased like a question but said like a statement. I swallowed hard.
“No.”
“And you don’t remember what I said to you? After the storm fucking destroyed our town?” Chloe asked. She had a desperate edge to her voice. I saw her eyebrows turn upwards, although she refused to look at me.
“No… I don’t remember anything other than that. And you.” I mumbled. Chloe sighed, pushing herself up off the bed with a disappointed grunt. She began to pace around the room, a frustrated scowl occupying her. I moved to stand, but my legs felt week and wobbly at the thought. Instead I chose to dangle them over the bed.
“Goddammit, this sucks!!” Chloe exclaimed, moving to kick at the door but missing it by a solid three feet. Kicking at the door? I’m honestly not sure what she was doing. This odd but familiar feeling to fix this fix this fix what’s wrong came over me. I didn’t like it.
“Are… are you mad at me?” I spoke up. Chloe stopped her movements, her eyes glued to me now. Her face had relaxed into disbelief now. She sat back down on the bed, her eyes still on me. Chloe’s eyebrows furrowed a second later. It’s like she couldn’t make up her mind.
“No! Well… yes! Dammit, I don’t know! I’m more mad at the situation than you.” Chloe said with a slight bite in her voice. I shuffled my feet around, hanging just a couple inches above the ground. So many questions buzzed around my head. I wanted to ask her everything, relearn everything about myself right in this moment.
“Are… you my girlfriend or something?” I asked without thinking. Geez, Max, what the hell kind of question is that? Out of everything to ask, you decide on that? Chloe bit back a sour laugh, eyes brimming with tears.
“Or something.”
I waited for a moment for her to continue, but she didn’t. Her statement hung in the air. I wanted to reach out and grab her words, dissect them and figure out what the hell she really meant. There’s something she’s not telling me. Fear kept me from pushing it.
“How did I get here?” I forced out. I heard Chloe inhale stiffly.
“At least you remember the storm. After it cleared, we went to leave Arcadia Bay. Not even fifty miles outside of that shithole we get T-boned. It was... “ Chloe trailed. She lost herself in thought, forgetting to reply. I watched her face flip between pain then fear then panic. Finally allowing myself, I reached towards her, grabbing one of her trembling hands in my own. Her eyes snapped up at me, her mouth tight.
“Chloe… I’m so sorry. I wish I could just go back in time and stop the accident from happening.” I heard myself say. The second those words left me, I wanted to grab them and take them back. That’s not how I felt. Something in the back of my head told me that’s not how I should feel. Judging from the look on Chloe’s face, she agrees with my subconscious.
“You… don’t remember…” Chloe trailed. It suddenly looked like she had the weight of the whole universe on her shoulders. Man, I really need to watch what I say. It’s hard to do when I can’t remember jack.
“No…?” I quietly replied, unsure of how to answer her. Chloe let out a bitter laugh, her feet and hands all jittery again. I squeezed hers tighter.
“Damn, do I have a story for you then.”