Author's Preface
Three years since the incident, no one in Arcadia Bay ever heard from Max, Chloe, or Rachel, as the community got work with picking up the pieces of their quiet fishing town to bring it back to what it once was, with a few improvements scattered here and there.
Kate Marsh, Victoria Chase, and even Frank Bowers , stayed to do their part; the former two became close friends as a result. When Blackwell was close to being rebuilt entirely, they, along with the help of many other students and staff alike, helped to set up a memorial in the courtyard honoring those who lost their lives in the storm.
Plaques with the names of Warren Graham , Juliet Watson , and Alyssa Anderson , were listed among the many.
Victoria cradled her arm around Kate as the three stood back to admire their work while Frank rested his gaze on a particular plaque that was placed somewhere in the middle.
Rachel Amber.
Sniffling once, Frank allowed his face to settle on a smile as he remembered her. Wherever she was, he hoped she was happy, and he would honor her by turning his own life around to become better.
Chloe's parents, Joyce and David , were the only few people who knew of the girls' whereabouts. They got on with their lives, first by rebuilding their home, and then working as a team of two to paint the entire outside sky blue.
When they finished, both stood in the driveway to admire their newly refurbished house. Joyce flourished with happy tears, knowing how proud William would have been.
David pulled her close and put a hand on the woman's slightly lumped belly; a new member of the family was on the way.
"Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?" He asked softly.
"I don't care."
"Because I'm thinking of a name in case it's the former ." Joyce looked at him, now curious. "But I want to be sure that you're okay with it first."
"Of course, David."
Somewhere across the other end of the world stood a peculiar blue-haired punk in an art museum. She wore the same kind of clothes as always, a pair of tight jeans, high leather boots, and a loose white tank top with a blue butterfly emblem in its front center.
What changed was that she no longer wore her dark beanie and allowed her hair to fall to her back and shoulders like a waterfall, just like her butterfly form.
Chloe was then taken by surprise when she heard the familiar sound of a Polaroid snapshot and spun to see a brunette with her camera aimed at her.
"Max!" She gasped. "You're not allowed to use your camera in here!"
Max checked her surroundings before taking out the printed photo to wave it. "When did you become so concerned about breaking the rules, mademoiselle?"
Chloe rolled her eyes as Max hurried over to show her the photo; it was a perfect candid face shot.
"You look so cute and innocent here, much like your younger self. Another great addition to our scrapbook."
Gone was the shy and awkward hipster who always stood with her shoulders bunched. In her place now was a calm and confident woman who walked with her chest out, yet she remained a dork.
Her hair had grown back to its original length while she now donned a beige jacket and wore a necklace of a doe. This was a girl who was ready to take on the world.
Another one of their travels took them to a desolate beach where they could have the shore and water all to themselves.
They wasted no time stripping to their bikinis and dipped themselves into the tame sea while the lined sun hovered over them in the late orange sky. They swam, splashed, played Jaws again, and made out shortly.
In the little tent, however, was where things got steamy. They engaged in a little play fight before tiring themselves out. Breathing heavily, their bodies worked on their own as they forced themselves on each other. Their tongues wrestled for dominance while their remaining clothes were freed from their bodies. One thing led to another.
In that late evening, with the full moon taking the sun's place, they made love for the first time, and it took them back to the stars.
Unfortunately, it was around the third year that the past finally caught up to them. They didn't realize it straight away, but during their treks through nature, Chloe began to notice how Max was off balance whenever she walked, and it was getting progressively worse when it decayed to limping.
Eventually, Chloe sat her on a tree stump to let her catch her breath which sounded ragged.
"I'm... I'm fine, Che." Max breathed out. "Just very tired."
"Max, you were limping like one of your legs caught a bullet from a hunting rifle."
"I can make the rest of the way." Max insisted and tried to get up, only to be forced back down by Chloe.
"Bullshit." Chloe spat. "We're heading back, now ."
Immediately, Chloe picked Max up off the stump and slung her arm over her neck to limp her all the way back.
"C—Chloe..."
"Don't argue with me!"
*****
The duo decided to stay in a cabin that night where, unlike before, neither could sleep properly. With nothing to distract them from their thoughts anymore, their minds returned to Rachel, and fond yet sore subject to both.
For Max, she was reminded of her inevitable fate, knowing deep down from the signs that her time would be up soon.
Chloe stared at the girl, and being able to read her thoughts, pulled her head close to her chest. Right then, Max finally broke down, her fears catching up to her. Both said nothing as the reality sunk in.
"It's... just not fair." Max sobbed.
The bluenette tried keeping herself together, but in truth, she wanted to lose it with her as well. Regardless, she would stay strong for her, as her rock.
Upon flying back to Oregon, Max resorted to walking with a cane as they migrated through the airport.
Right away, she noticed the way people were looking at them as they passed by.
"Looks like I'm still famous." She commented.
Chloe just nodded, not minding them.
The incident with Rachel in the Two Whales and the hospital didn't stay within the confines of Arcadia Bay for long. It spread everywhere through news channels, documentaries, and the good old social web.
This was what made for a good excuse to get the hell out of here when they did.
When they exited from the arrival, they met Max Caulfield's parents who greeted them with equal love.
"How was your trip?" Her mother asked while bombarding her with kisses.
"Amazeballs."
"Hella amazeballs!"
Except for the cane, both parents were delighted at how mature their daughter appeared to have grown since they went away.
During the road trip inside their car, Vanessa decided to ask Max the hard question when enough time had passed and they were eased into this setting.
"How do you feel, dear?"
Max held a breath, knowing what was behind her question. "I'm... I'm finding it a little harder to walk... let alone breathe."
Chloe looked at Max with concern but stayed silent, allowing the girl to take her time.
"But it's not so bad." Truth be told, Max didn't like how her mother picked now of all times to bring up that subject, just before they were off to see Joyce and David, and their son.
They knew as well.
The family talked about it many times, even overseas when her parents called her through video many times just to make sure she was still alive.
"So, how's little William doing?" She said, changing the topic.
"Oh, he's great!" Chloe answered cheerily. "From what I hear, he already wants to be a cop just like his dad."
Instead by being dropped at the Price household like they expected, the girls were greatly surprised to find that we were being driven behind the same Two Whales Diner into its parking lot.
"Hey, this isn't my house."
"Everyone's waiting." Ryan simply stated.
Inside, Joyce and David were seated at a table as customers this time while playing with their new son when the former spotted them entering. With an elated gasp, she got up and charged towards the girls with a hug.
"You're here! Thank God!"
"Yeah!" Chloe grunted. "You're killing us again!"
"Glad to see you too, Joyce!"
Joyce released them and then grabbed both their arms to drag them over to their table. "Come on! There's someone who wants to meet you!"
The girls were brought to see William, who was in David's arms, trying to pick at the off-duty cop's moustache.
Max threw her palms onto her cheeks. "Oh, my dog! He's so cute!"
Chloe bent over to touch the baby's hands. "Hey there, little brother." She spoke in that high-pitched voice.
William giggled in response.
"Can I pinch his cheeks?" Max asked with puppy eyes.
David only chuckled before saying, "No."
All sharing a laugh, the whole extended family sat down to share their stories. From Joyce and David came the hardships of raising their child with his temper tantrums and other sorts of baggage he came with. Chloe did most of the talking when she shared their adventures while of course leaving out the fouler details.
By this point, Max tuned out as she turned to look out the window. On that empty road, she imagined Rachel standing there while watching them favorably.
"I'm starting to see her everywhere now." Max moaned. "Rachel."
Chloe could only hum to her statement as she piggybacked the girl up the hill through the trees where up ahead stood the same old lighthouse.
"We should have gotten married too, you know." She finally said.
It had been more than enough months now. By then, Max was unable to walk anymore, having to resort to either being carried or lugged around in a wheelchair.
When they reached the top, Chloe lowered Max onto the bench and sat with her to face the sunset in silence.
Both knew that her time was almost up, so they came here to fulfil her last wish.
Max absorbed every single detail of this scenery, from the orange circle, the glints of the sea surface, the seagulls flying by, and the gentle waves lapping the shore.
"Life... is hella strange... isn't it." Said Max, stealing Chloe's word.
"Yes... it truly is." Chloe answered, tears overflowing. "It's also fucking bullshit."
Weakly, Max looked at Chloe to see her falling apart. Instead of trying to stop her, she simply took her hand and allowed her to let it all out.
"I—I... I don't w—want you to..."
"I know. Me neither."
"I'm sorry, Max." She wiped her nose. "I thought I was ready for this, but I can't accept it. It's so unfair!"
"Chloe..."
The girl shook her head.
"Chloe, look at me."
Again, she refused until Max stroked her hair.
"I'll never leave you." Max said. "Even if I'm gone, I'll never be away from you, just like Rachel never left."
"I can't handle it. I don't how I can go on... losing so many people."
"You are gonna do amazing things, Che. Don't let all those losses weigh you down anymore. You are Chloe Elizabeth Price, the punk badass who's gonna bring the world to its knees so it can suck you off."
Chloe managed a half-hearted laugh. "I don't have a dick , Max."
"No, but do you still have that dildo?"
"That's for us only."
They broke out into laughter, the last one they'll ever share.
Afterwards, Max felt the feeling in her body whither, and slowly, she hovered her head down onto Chloe's lap. She breathed deeply, making sure to savor every intake of air.
Her vision started to fuzz, her sight fading first. She squinted at the horizon, the sky getting darker and darker until finally, everything was pitch black.
The next to go was her hearing. The gentle breeze whizzed through her ears, along with Chloe's quiet sobs.
"I love you, Maxine Caulfield. I'll never forget you."
Those were the final words that ever reached her ears, and with her last breaths, she shared her own last words.
"You... deserve so much, Chloe. Don't let anyone tell you... any... different."
She didn't take another breath after that.
Chloe then proceeded to brush the girl's brown hair repeatedly, allowing her fingers to be the last thing she felt.
When enough minutes passed, Chloe released everything from her lungs as the realization sunk in.
Max, her best friend, her partner in crime, and her soul mate, was gone now. Solemnly, she reached down over her face to close her eyes, and then sat there, drained; she could not wail anymore.
There she sat, Max dead on her lap, both facing ahead at the day dying before them. They fulfilled what they wanted to achieve, which was a trip of a lifetime.
Remembering that they brought along their scrapbook as well, Chloe picked it up, opened it, and tearfully flipped through the pages of their album. There were more photos than she could count on every page, except the last one.
On the last page was a note to her.
Hey Chloe,
I'm kinda shitty at writing letters, but I'll make this short as possible. You've been a wonderful companion throughout my life, even during our roughest times. It really sucks that our story has to end like this. I know you'll feel like you're alone and lost again. That doesn't mean we'll be gone forever. I know for sure that whatever happens in your life, Rachel and I will be watching over you from above. Please live, for me and yourself.
Love now and always,
Max Caulfield.
XXXXXXXXXX etc.
Droplets of more tears stained the page and Chloe got choked up again. She shut the book and dropped it to the floor and finally threw out all her bottled emotions.
She wrapped her arms around Max while she was still warm and pressed her lips onto her head, rocking her like a baby, her whimpers drowning the silence.
"I promise." She finally said. "For both of you, I'll live on.
Calming herself again, a blue butterfly landed next to them, and Chloe inspected it. This was the same creature that symbolized their entire struggle. It seemed to look at her with curiosity for a moment before it then flew away.
Strangely enough, the remaining girl managed a smile and nodded in acceptance and she let her eyes rest. In her silence, she heard both Max and Rachel's voices whisper to her one last time.
" Everything will be alright."