Afterimage

Max Caulfield wasn't sure about this. Fidgeting in her chair, she sat with her eyes closed while muttering "It's going to be okay" over and over like a mantra. Her hands gripping the armrests tightly, all she could hear was the buzzing sound echoing through the small room. Feeling hands softly brushing the nape of her neck, Max flinched slightly at the surprising touch. Hearing a chuckle from behind her, Max smirked and opened one eye without looking at the mirror opposite her position in the bathroom.

"Dude, please don't laugh," Max pleaded to Chloe Price as Chloe stood behind Max with a pair of clippers in her hand, "I'm anxious enough as it is. I don't need you going all 'mad scientist' on my head, Chlo."

"Chill, Max, and lower your head some. Unless you really want to worry," Chloe replied.

Max couldn't see her face, but knew Chloe probably had a mischievous look on her face. Sighing, Max shut her eyes again and trying to let her mind associate the buzzing with something calming. The sound did remind Max of those massage chairs they'd used in Portland a few weeks ago. Finally catching up on her homework, Max had broken the news to Chloe that she was free that weekend on Friday night. They'd driven up to Portland that next morning and spent the entire weekend exploring the city. Chloe had a blue butterfly tattooed between her shoulder blades, making it look like the wings were flapping when she stretched out her arms. Not quite ready for something that permanent, Max had declined when Chloe was finished. They'd seen a couple bands play, bought some clothes, and Chloe had scored some new types of weed that she hadn't found in Arcadia Bay. Overall, Max had to admit she had a lot of fun that weekend. With school keeping me so busy lately, I need to make time for Chloe. She practically pounced on me this morning when I showed up at the front door, it was so cute, Max thought as the clippers were shut off behind her. Max felt Chloe wipe off loose hair with a soft brush, and Max opened her eyes as Chloe took the towel out from around Max's neck.

"Damn, Max, I am good," Chloe said as she looked in the mirror, "C'mon, Max, just look."

Max looked up. The sides and back of her head had been cut short, but not buzzed all theway down to the scalp. Max could still run her fingers through it. The hair on the crown of her head was still just as long as before, tied up so that a little tuft of hair was hanging over the back of her head in a little cluster of spikes. Chloe had combed her bangs so that they were hanging over Max's forehead. Max blushed a deep red as the reality of this sunk in. Crap, I can't believe I let Chloe do this. This is gonna draw hella attention when I go back to Blackwell tomorrow.

"Che...," Max said, her voice warbling to match her nervousness.

"Relax, Maxi-Pad," Chloe said, grinning as Max pouted.

"You know I can't stand being called that," Max barked, sticking out her tongue jokingly.

"Take the tail down, and comb it how you normally wood, Max-a-roon."

Max did as Chloe requested and was surprised to see how little you could tell the difference. Of course I know it is different - it's my freakin' head. But if someone saw me in the hall, they might not notice. Combing her hair a couple more times, Max turned to look at Chloe.

"So," Chloe started, "Is it alive?"

Max laughed then raised her arms up. "It's alive!"

"What is going on up there?" from a voice downstairs suddenly killed the mood. Rolling her eyes, Chloe opened the door and looked down the stairway to see David looking up to meet her gaze.

"Chill, David! I'm just cutting Max's hair, for fuck's sake!" Chloe said. Things had become...amicable, between her and David over the last couple months. David helping Max and Chloe hide after Nathan Prescott was detained helped, as well as setting up a restraining order. Max noted that Chloe still referred to him sometimes as "step-douche", so things could be better.

"Just...just keep it down, Chloe. Okay?" David said in exasperation, walking down the hallway and out of Chloe's line of sight.

Making an audible ugh, Chloe went back to the bathroom to find Max playing with her new hair. Max had placed the uncut hair back in the tail Chloe had set up and looked expectantly at Chloe.

"I want you to want me...I need you to need me," Chloe crooned at Max, grinning as she moved to tickle the sheepish girl in the ponytail. Max batted Chloe's hands away and tickled Chloe instead, with Chloe clamping her arms down to her sides. Max's hands trapped under her arms, Chloe's tilted her head down till her face was inches from Max's. "You ready to mosh, 'Shaka Brah'?"

"Dog, Che, are you ever going to stop reminding me I said that?" Max said, rolling her eyes but smirking. Max leaned up, hands still pinned, and kissed Chloe. The kiss held for a moment before Max broke it, then slid her hands out from Chloe's arms. "C'mon, we need to clean this up."

"Hey now, Max. I'm the captain of this boat. You want a job? Swab my fucking poop deck," Chloe said ruefully, then began helping Max clean all the hair off the floor.

With Thanksgiving over, students had begun trickling back into the dorms over the weekend. It was Saturday evening now, and the girls' dorm was about half-full. Some probably won't be back until right before the first bell goes off, Max thought, looking over to Victoria Chase's closed door. Chloe in tow, Max had kept her hair up and was anxious to see what Dana would say. Over the two months, the friendship that had started between Max with Dana and Juliet had grown to the point that Chloe had begun to consider them friends too. Chloe always acts so tough, except around me. I like both sides of her, though, and enjoy how tender she can be when it is just the two of us, Max thought as she knocked on Dana's door, looking at Chloe. Chloe wasn't paying attention, looking off into Dog-knows-where, but caught Max's glance out of the corner of her eye and leaned over to give her a quick kiss.

"Gotta be stealthier than that, Blackwell Ninj-," Chloe started.

"Oh my god, Max! That looks so cool!" Juliet exclaimed as she opened the door and saw Max's new haircut, "Dana, seriously, get your butt over here and check out Max's new style!"

Juliet and Dana looked exactly the same as they had months ago when the three opened up to each other. You two are always so pretty, Max thought, you're like models. Dana walked to the doorway and Max tried not to laugh as Dana's jaw dropped. With Juliet grabbing Max by one hand and Dana tugging Chloe in by the arm, the four girls made their way into Dana's room. Dana turned switched the newly-added lock over, hearing a satisfying click. It took a creeper like Nathan Prescott to get locks added to our doors, Max thought. Wonder what it'll take to get any more security. A zombie apocalypse?

Dana played with Max's hair for a few minutes, Juliet talking Chloe's ear off with her Thanksgiving holiday. Max grinned wryly at Chloe, who was trying to feign interest in Juliet's gamut of interests. From designer clothes to investigative journalism, Juliet interests were incredibly varied, which made her fun to talk to for Max. Chloe thinks she's too chill for Juliet's stream-of-consciousness discussions, but if she didn't care she would not even pretend to be interested. I'm rubbing off on you, Che.

"So, Max, what have you two been up to over the holiday?" Dana asked, sitting cross-legged on her bed next to Juliet. Max took a seat next to Chloe on the couch and felt Chloe wrap her arm over Max's shoulder. Contently, smiling, Max looked up at Dana and Juliet and blushed a dark shade of red - Dana and Juliet were grinning over how cute Max looked when no one thought she noticed her reactions to Chloe.

"Uh, well, we really just relaxed. Hung out, watched movies, listened to music. Y'know, the usual," Max said awkwardly. Chloe looked over at Max with an expression of That's not all we did, Max and Max blushed even more. Dana must have sensed something unspoken because she thankfully turned the conversation toward her vacation, going into intricate detail that allowed Max time to cool down. Max listened attentively, trying halfheartedly to ignore Chloe's hand sliding off her shoulder and moving down to the small of her back. Urgh, not now, Che! The conversation lasted for about an hour before Max excused herself and Chloe, saying she still had some homework to do for Mr. Jefferson's class and wanted to get it done so she could unwind some tomorrow before classes resumed the following day. Wishing Juliet and Dana a good night, Max pulled Chloe over to her room. Flustered from Chloe's teasing, Max nearly dropped her key as she unlocked her door, pulling Chloe in by the collar once she'd turned on the paper lanterns hanging overhead in her room.

"Dude, not funny," Max said, punching Chloe in the arm jokingly, "I know you like to tease, Che, but Jesus fuck."

"But you're cute when you're flustered," Chloe said, her face a mask of mock innocence as she gave Max puppy eyes and a pout.

Max rolled her eyes and punched Chloe in the arm again, eliciting a slight "Ow" from the taller woman as Max went to check on her plant. You're a little dry, Lisa, so here. Drink up, Max thought to herself as she watered her plant. Turning on her desk lamp, Max turned to see Chloe fall onto Max's bed.

The photo 'wall' had spread to above the door to her room, the addition of several newer photos spreading the collection out. Max looked at some of the newer ones and chuckled to herself. Me and Chloe at Dana's Halloween party. I looked so goofy as Harley Quinn, but Chloe was ridiculously hot as Joker. There's another one of Dana, Juliet, and Kate. I had thought Kate would go as an angel, but Dana had convinced her and Juliet for all three of them to dress up as the Three Amigos. Oh, there's the selfie I took at the movie theater with Chloe. Our first actual 'date'. I don't remember much about the movie, but I heard it was pretty good. Max walked to the couch and rifled through her bag, pulling out a handful of stacked pictures. Flipping through them, Max selected a shot of Chloe sitting at Two Whales, in mid-bite of a pancake, and taped it onto the wall. Hearing a slight metal ping, Max turned around as Chloe rummaged through Max's cookie tin.

"I thought you weren't hungry, Che," Max said teasingly, a wry grin on her face. Chloe responded by smiling with a mouthful of cookie and flipping Max off.

Stretching, Max plopped into her chair and pulled the laptop out of her camera bag. Mr. Jefferson had asked them to create a digital collage that would be able to manifest a collective afterimage using all the images at once. Max had seen these types of works before, so for her it was just a matter of selecting specific pictures she'd taken and aligning them by color palette and positioning of each picture's subject. I am a complete nerd, Max thought as she began to pattern the pictures to leave the afterimage of a smiley face, I bet Victoria has some ridiculously fancy image of a statue or other piece of art. Wrapping up the assignment, Max turned to look at Chloe, who looked exhausted.

"Ugh," Chloe said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "the sweetness. Dana and Juliet...there's just so much sweetness." Pretending to get sick, Chloe faked collapsing on the floor.

"You can be pretty sweet yourself, Che," Max retorted, amused, "Like when you wrote me that-"

"Shhh, one does not talk about things which have no place being spoken of here," Chloe replied in a wistful tone. We watch way too much Game of Thrones, Max thought as she moved to where Chloe was pretending to have collapsed.

Straddling the fallen Chloe, Max began to lightly tickle Chloe along her sides. Chloe's eyes snapped open. "Nononono, don't! Max, stop. Fucking cut it out, pastel hippie punk-ass ahh-hahaha!" Chloe tried to tickle Max in return, but remembered in frustration that Max wasn't ticklish anymore. Not like she was when she was a kid, anyway. Max was laughing, her mood lighter than it had been for awhile, when she felt a slight twinge from the back of her head. Immediately grabbing her head, Max squeezed her eyes shut.

"Max? Another headache?" Chloe asked, carefully helping Max to a seat on the couch.

"Yeah," Max said as she rubbed her temples, "Another side effect from the wonders of time travel, I guess." Getting up from the couch as the momentary bout of pain subsided, Max went to her computer one more time to double-check all her work due the coming week. Despite Chloe's near-constant demand for Max's time over the holiday, which had irked Max's parents as well as Max at times, she'd been able to complete most of her assignments and was close to being finished with the rest.

Max closed her laptop and turned to see Chloe had fallen asleep after climbing onto her bed. Max wanted to do nothing more than join the sleeping woman in bed, but she needed to shower and splash some cold water in her face. A sleepy Max does not an assignment finish. Gathering her shower supplies and a towel, Max slipped off her shoes and made her way out into the hall. The emptiness gave the hall a horror movie quality, the lighting dim and the silence only adding to the eeriness. Walking lightly as thought to not upset the quiet, Max made her way to the showers. Stripping down, Max turned on the cold water first and splashed herself in the face with some of it. Turning on the hot water after waking herself up, Max stepped the rest of the way into the shower and let the hot water wash over her. So peaceful, so nice, Max thought when she heard a noise from the hall.

"Hello?" Max asked, peering out from behind the curtain. "Uh, who's there? If that's you, Chloe, it isn't funny."

Not hearing any response or further noise, Max almost didn't notice the envelope tucked halfway under her door after she had finished her shower. Thinking about something else as she entered her room, Max picked it up absentmindedly and tossed it by her Hi-Fi system. Chloe was still passed out in bed, so Max decided the time had come for a picture. With a bemused expression, Max covered the flash to her camera and snapped a picture of the sleeping woman. Grinning, Max laid the photo next to Chloe's head and picked the envelope back up. There was no name or anything, a plain white envelope. Using her room key, Max sliced open one of the envelope sides and a single picture fell out on the floor. Max went to pick it up, but froze in place as she saw the image.

The woman was naked, the photo manipulated to black out everything else around her. Max guessed by the pose that she was unconscious as the picture was less than flattering, but the woman's face was what caught her attention. The face was Max's, and on the back was a single sentence, written neatly in marker.

"You should have stayed quiet, Max."

Max Caulfield watched Chloe die before her eyes, over and over. First, it was the train tracks, then in the girls' restroom at Blackwell Academy. Over and over, Max was bombarded with visions of her girlfriend, her heart, coming to a violent end.

"Max!" she heard Chloe scream at the train tracks.

"Max..." she heard as Chloe's head hit the restroom floor before growing silent.

Each time, Max felt as though a piece of her died along with Chloe. She would stand there, helpless and out of reach, only able to cry and scream as Chloe died. Then, time would rewind and the events would happen all over again. Max looked out at the train tracks as the engine blew its horn loudly, but not loud enough to drown out Chloe's pleas for help.

"Max! Max, wake up!" Max heard as her eyes snapped open. The room was dark, so for a moment she thought she might still be at the tracks. Her heart racing, Max nearly choked on her own breath when she felt two arms encircle her waist and a familiar voice speak to her in a comforting, hushed tone.

"Shhh, baby, shhh. You were having a nightmare. Damn, Max, you spend half our nights together crying in your sleep. Will you tell me now about whatever it is that is bothering you, nerd?" Chloe Price asked, patting Max's back as she shifted one of her arms to press Max closer. Max sobbed into Chloe's t-shirt, her eyes shut tightly. Max wanted to shut out the world, leave only her and Chloe. And no dreams, no pictures. Crap, why can't I get this all out of my head. I feel like I'm going freaking crazy, Max thought as she began to calm down. The dim light bulbs of the paper lanterns illuminated the room with a soft glow, and Max could see Chloe walking back toward the bed.

Climbing back into bed, Chloe spooned Max and kissed the nape of the grief-stricken woman's neck. This is getting fucking bad, Max. I tell you it's only half, but this happens every night we're together. You just don't remember some of them because you were even more out of it than before, Chloe thought solemnly. Peeking over Max's shoulder from her spooning, Chloe saw the smaller woman's eyes looking toward her. Max shifted her body, turning while Chloe still held her, and looked into Chloe's eyes.

"Che...," Max said, kissing Chloe softly with lips wet from tears. Nuzzling her head under Chloe's chin, Chloe felt some relief when Max sigh contentedly. "Che, I wish that I never had to leave your arms."

"Max?" Chloe asked with a pensive tone.

"Mmm?"

"...What is going on? You hardly fucking talk to me, at least not about the deep stuff. We talk, but I feel like you're keeping something to yourself. Something that is, maybe, hella scary and you don't want to share."

Max looked up with a sobering expression, what contentment she'd had evaporating as the long nights of nightmares accumulated in her mind. Her heart felt like breaking every night this happened. Looking over her shoulder to see Chloe lying on her side, watching her, Max patted a spot on the bed next to her and Chloe slid over to Max, taking a seat alongside. Sighing heavily, Max looked at Chloe with a fearful expression in her eyes.

"Che, I dream...I dream of all the times where I watched you die. I'll see you on the tracks, and then I'll see you in the bathroom. Time will rewind and I'll see it all again a-and I'm powerless to do anything. I hear you scream and it's like my heart wrenches itself together and implodes," Max said, sniffling and wiping the wetness from her cheeks. Feeling an arm come across her shoulders, Max looks up to see Chloe watching her with a pained look.

"Max, fuck, why didn't you tell me? How long has this been going on? It's fucking November, Max," Chloe asked concernedly. This has been going on for weeks? Dude, what the hell. You should've told me.

"I was scared."

"Of what? Not of me?"

"No, just saying it out loud. Speaking about it makes it feel more real and not just nightmares."

"Max-a-roon...," Chloe said, taking Max's hands. Max felt her chest tightened as she saw Chloe's eyes begin to water, Chloe's face a mask of pain.

"Che. Hey, no no no. Look, I'm sorry for not telling you - I was afraid that my speaking about it would only bring you pain," Max said, placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder.

"We shoulder each other's burdens, Max. Together, remember?" Chloe said more than asked, her voice resolute.

"Together. I'm sorry, Che."

"Don't be sorry. Just be fucking honest with me, yeah?"

Max and Chloe climbed back into bed, tired and weary from the emotional drain both women felt. Neither Chloe or Max slept easy, but at least they slept together, each woman a comfort for the other.

Chloe woke up the next morning to see Max looking at her, clutching something crumpled in her hand, but it was like Max wasn't registering anything around her. Goddamn, she looks like she's about to fucking pounce on something.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked, sitting up. Max walked up to the bed and dropped the crumpled photo in Chloe's lap. "Uh, what the fuck is this?"

"Just look," Max said, her tone unreadable.

Chloe straightened out the photo, then squinted as she tried to look at it more closely. Wha-, is that Max? No, she wouldn't...someone photoshopped her on another person's body?

"Max, what the hell is this?" Chloe asked, handing the picture back to Max with an edge in her voice, but Max simply gestured for her to turn the picture over. Chloe, still bleary-eyed, wiped at her face with one hand while smoothing the crinkles of the photo with her other hand. The message, now entirely visible to Chloe, sent a chill up through her body. "Dude, where did you get this?"

"It was left, Che, at my door last night. Did you hear anybody come near my door while I was showering?"

"Max, I was hella crashed. Seriously, is this some weird-ass prank? This shit makes me think of-"

"Nathan Prescott."

"Who is in jail, Max. Someone is fucking with you, maybe? Hopefully?"

Max sat down next to Chloe, leaning against her while staring at the photo.

"I don't think this is a joke, Chlo. If it is, it's a pretty crappy one," Max said, pulling her knees up to her chest and tossing the picture onto the couch.

Chloe didn't want to believe that the shit from two months ago could be coming back. Nathan-fucking-Prescott is in a psych ward, for fuck's sake, no doubt pumped up with shit that could turn him into a barnyard animal or whatever! "What do you think it is?"

"A message that what I, we, did regarding Nathan has pissed someone off. Someone just as creepy."

"So, it's a prank then. Ha ha, joke's over," Chloe tried to say encouragingly as she took Max's hand, rubbing her thumb against Max's whitening knuckles.

"I've been pranked, Chloe. This isn't a prank. Whoever left that photo took the time to manipulate the image, black out everything but what's supposed to be me."

"I...I need some air, Max," Chloe said after a moment of silence between the two, getting up and leaving Max's room. Max stayed seated on the bed for a moment, then followed Chloe, locking her room behind her.

Max made it outside and watched Chloe come up from behind her and out to the courtyard. When did I get ahead of Chloe, Max thought, then became dizzy as her eyes unfocused for a moment. What...what was that? Leaning against a light post, Max looked out for where Chloe had gone and felt her chest lurch, her heart feeling like it had just stopped.

"Wowsers," Max said as she witness what played out before her.

Where Chloe had come out onto the courtyard, two paths had branched off. In one, Chloe had walked over to the totem pole on the hill and was leaning against it, smoking a joint. The other path showed Chloe continuing to walk along in the direction of the breezeway and main courtyard, looking like she was talking to someone. Nononononono, was all Max could think over in her head, then jumped as Chloe came behind her.

"Sorry, Max. Had to stop off in the bathroom, rinse my face off. Hey, if you're gonna follow me, do you want to go for a drive?"

"Uh, sure Che. Sure," Max said, dumbfounded. As they began to walk, Max watched out of the corner of her eye as the Chloe over at the totem pole disappeared. Half-listening to Chloe talking to her, Max felt a dread wash over her as the Chloe who was walking along the same route they were seemed to overlay onto her Chloe, like coming back into sync. Max felt her eyes begin to tear as they made their way to the breezeway.

What the fuck is happening to me?