"I'm so glad you're my partner in crime."

"As long as you're my partner in time," said the blue haired girl with a smirk.

A loud voice of thunder crashed down upon her like a heavy burden as she took the small pathway leading up to the lighthouse. As the girl pushed forward, struggling against the pouring rain and cold wind on her skin, a pinetree crashed down behind her back blocking the path where she came from.

"There's no going back now." Max felt like some ominious force tried to send her a message but she had no intention of turning back anyway.

The fragile looking girl got soaking wet and shivering from the cold as she reached the cliffside. But it didn't seem to disorient her as she knew exactly what had to be done.

"I… I have to break this cycle or I will be forever stuck in time without my knowledge on everything. Just how many times have I been here?" She asked as a strong sensation of 'Déjá vu' struck her.

Max simply knew this was neither the first nor the second time of her standing at the cliff watching an EF5 tornado obliterating Arcadia Bay right below her feet. And yet it felt like something was missing or rather… someone. But she couldn't place the feeling. The girl quickly reached for a photo in her bag feeling her courage was fading away with every passing moment. Actually it was her selfie, a bittersweet reminder of a naive and carefree girl from the past. A part of her cherished the thought that soon she will become her old self again even if it's only meant for a short time. As she stared at the photo it started to resonate in her mind hearing voices from the past like a whisper. But suddenly the girl looked away in fear because she recognized the voice. It was the art teacher who she once admired and secretly even had a crush on. Only to find out that he was a psychopath kidnapping girls for his sick desires much later on.

"I can't afford to be scared right now." She shooked her head in desperation, trying to whisk away the bad memories that haunted her. But then all her regrets came to the surface in a form of never ending tears lost in the rain.

"So this is it… I'm so sorry Chloe… I tried so hard to… to make things different for you. You trusted me and I abandoned you again just like 5 years ago…"

"But... I only did what you asked me for. You were so brave, willing to sacrifice yourself for the people of Arcadia Bay." A part of her even hated the punk because she felt the decision was forced on her. Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"Fuck that! It wasn't a choice to begin with. I was so naive believing that I can save everyone by letting you die." Fate have a cruel taste of humour that's for sure. Only one week has passed since Chloe's funeral and the storm is back, ravaging everything in it's path once again. Max couldn't explain how or why but she was convinced that this tornado was even bigger than before.

Have I totally fucked up time?

The question was poetic as she already knew the answer. All of a sudden a mix of sorrow and guilt was starting to get a hold over the poor girl's body what felt like claws tearing apart her insides. Max always wanted to do the right thing. To save everyone. How could she gave up on Chloe then? The girl saw the blue haired punk die so many times she lost count. She became a shell of her former self after the events of that insane week. The shy and innocent girl who came to Blackwell with high expectations about her future was nowhere to be found now. Broken and scattered beyond repair just like time itself. Did the time travel fucked up her mind so bad? No, it's not only that. The fact that she had to leave her partner in crime to her fate broke something inside of her. When the brunette saw the blue butterfly landing on the casket of her best friend she took it as a sign of making the right decision even if it was painful to accept. It was just enough to not regret her choice and change history once more as she respected Chloe's last wish. That was until the storm struck the little town of Arcadia again. Of course, Max blamed herself for not even trying to warn the people of the coming danger, when the signs were clearly there. Everything repeated itself, first the snow then the eclipse, beached whales and so on. Maybe deep inside she hoped, that all of this won't matter after she goes back in time to change the past, but she wasn't ready to face her demons yet.

"In the end all I ever achieved was the death and destruction of those I truly cared about. Why all of this happening to me? I never asked for this power in the first place…" She said it between her sobs, not expecting an answer but someone responded like a distant echo from a nightmare. Or was it something else?

"That might be true... but you still kept using it like a toy." The brunette recognised the voice as her own but it sounded twisted, cynical and more importantly, evil.

"Thought you're special, huh? Just tell me something. Was this all worth it Max? Do you feel like a hero yet? Twisting time around your fingers for your precious punk Chloe, who never understood what you went through for her…"

"Shut up! I should have never listened to you. You manipulated me to sacrifice my best friend over this cursed town, which caused pain and suffering for so many."

"Manipulated you? Now that's funny coming from you who tried to control everyone as she pleased. Oh dear, it was your own choice. It's time for you to face reality, our reality. "

"I won't listen to your bullshit anymore. This is not my reality, not anymore."

"Man, you are so stupid. How many times do you want to relive the same week over and over again? I'm embarrassed to have the same name."

The last sentence struck a nerve in the girl. Making her doubt herself.

"What…what are you talking about?"

"Oh my... Have you already forgot? I am you dumbass, or the Other Maxes you left behind. And sorry to break it to you, but you're also part of the problem, a huge part in fact... Have you ever thought about that? Of course you haven't. Otherwise we wouldn't be here talking in ourselves."

She was terrified from the thought that the "Other Max" could have been real, but from other timelines which she messed up with her rewind power. What if she created new timelines with every rewind? For a moment it felt like her head is about to explode from all those ill thoughts. But then she remembered why was it so important to come here. The voices disappeared from her head so she could focus on her mission.

Stop messing around Max! You need to save Chloe! The small girl managed to pull herself together. If fate or whatever higher power wanted to destroy Arcadia Bay so much, then she was ready to let it happen… but not to her Chloe, not anymore.

"Whoa! No!" Just when she was finally ready to travel back through the photo, the tornado caught up a small fishing boat, wrecking the top of the lighthouse with it. Max could see the falling debris heading towards her in slow-motion.

Oh shit! Am I gonna die now? No, I can't let that happen, not until I saved Chloe at least. With that being said, the girl quickly took a glance at the photo resonating in her mind again just until everything went white around her.

"Shh, I believe Max has taken what you kids call a selfie..." Mr. Jefferson continued his lecture after a short pause, when he noticed the instant camera spit out the polaroid photo with Max's face on it.

"I knew you were special the second I saw your first 'selfie'… Yes, I still hate that word." For a moment the girl felt like she was trapped in the dark room again, unconsciously lying on the ground with that psycho smiling and taking pictures of her.

"A dumb word for a wonderful photographic tradition. And Max... has a gift."

"I wasn't lying when I said you have a gift." She could hear the clicking sounds of the fancy camera he was using but her vision was still blurred from the drugs. Finally she managed to snap out from the flashback of that horrible night.

The brunette looked to her right, noticing Kate Marsh who was resting her head on one hand and stared blankly into nothing. Her eyes were puffy from all the crying and the lack of sleep, thanks to her bullies.

I know exactly how you feel Kate. Don't worry, I won't let you down. Even if I have to let a lot of people die, I will save you, I promise.

"Now Max, since you 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?"

Eat shit and die Jefferson! Max fought the urge to shout in her helpless fury upon seeing the psycho who almost killed her in an other timeline. But then remembered she have to play by the rules for now, and quickly followed with the correct answer.

"The Daguerreian Process. Invented by a French painter named... Louis Daguerre. Around 1830."

Visibly pleased by the answer the teacher praised the young girl for her research. The brunette ignored the hateful glare from Victoria and started to write notes for her future self to make everything right this time.

Hello Max! Or should I call you Other Me? I know it will take for a while to digest all of this, but you're a time traveler. The tornado that you saw in your vision is real and it's going to happen this Friday. You went back in time to correct your mistakes, so please don't screw this up again. Just make sure you follow everything I wrote down for you, because all the people in Arcadia Bay are in serious danger. You will regain all of your lost memories when the tornado comes. Until then you can always count on Chloe, but be honest with her all the time, and tell her everything about your power. She will trust you and kinda likes you too, I think. In case you mess up anything dont hesitate to use your rewind power. The universe can't be more fucked up than it already is trust me…

The bell rang a few minutes later and most of the students left the classroom except for Max, Kate and Victoria. The short-haired girl was in a middle of discussion with Jefferson about the photo contest, which the brunette didn't mind as it gave her some time to finish her notes without drawing too much attention to herself. The freckled girl knew, that soon she is going to lose all the memories of this insane week, once she walks out of the classroom since that was the limit of the photo jump now.

She took one last glance at her journal to make sure all the important choices were written down before walking out the room. Or at least that's what she planned when Mr. Jefferson called out for her.

"I see you, Max Caulfield. Don't even think about leaving here until we talk about your entry. I'd never let one of photography's future stars avoid handing in her picture."

Like I give a rat's ass about this stupid contest anymore. The last thing I need is the company of a serial-killer.

Then she turned back to say the same old lines to Jefferson almost by instinct. "I'm not avoiding, just waiting for the right moment."

"Max, don't wait too long. John Lennon once said…"

I was so stupid to believe all the crap spilling out from your mouth.

"…'Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.' I know…" The professor looked at the brunette in awe.

"Max, you're on fire today. All the right answers. Good. Make sure you finish working on it by today. I have faith in you. Go on now, don't let me stop you"

Oh trust me I won't, asshole. You're going to rot in prison. I made sure of that.

The girl stopped in her tracks, looking at the door covered in white fuzz, then she let out an uneasy sigh.

Here comes nothing. I hope this will be the last reality where I'm heading now. Just… don't panic!

Max tried to calm herself but it was all in vain, as she started breathing quickly. With a millions of questions and doubts in her heart, she finally took the door handle and stepped through the bright light.

A/N: That's it for the first chapter for now. I'm planning to polish it further though. This is my very first try of writing so bear that in mind. I'm sure there are grammar mistakes here and there, but english is not my native language so please help me out if you find them. :)

Also, please share your opinions about the story. I can take constructing criticism.