Life Is Strange: Visions

Chapter Eighteen: Regrets

Song(s) that inspired this chapter: Your Light by The Big Moon and Bigger Than The Whole Sky by Taylor Swift

Max's P.O.V

"Rachel you need to go. People are going to recognize you." I whispered to her, hesitantly placing my hand on her shoulder. "I don't care." She replied quietly, staring solemnly at Chloe's coffin. Rachel wore a black minidress and had her hair up in a bun under a wide brimmed hat, complete with a pair of black and gold sunglasses. She was partially disguised, but if someone heard her voice or recognized her tattoo which was not hidden in the slightest, an even bigger shitstorm would occur.

She had only narrowly managed to avoid the police when they came after hearing gunshots when Chloe and Damon were hurt. I had to practically pry her off of Chloe's body and send her to run before they could see her. Shortly after the police came, Rachel's father arrived. Chloe was dead and Damon badly injured and unconscious. When Mr. Amber saw Chloe on the ground he froze and had to excuse himself. From what I've heard, him and Chloe didn't get along, but that was his daughters best friend. He already lost his daughter and he was losing yet another part of her. If Rachel had been there, it somehow would have been even worse.

"Rachel, please. You can't stay here. We're running out of time, someone is going to recognize you." I pleaded with her quietly. She chuckled dryly. "Running out of time...how ironic."

I sighed. Dealing with her these past few days had been difficult. She stopped caring about everything. She didn't want to eat, she didn't want to conceal herself anymore. She just didn't give any fucks because she simply had no reason to with Chloe dead. Now we were here at Chloe's funeral and she refused to miss it. It's not like I could do anything about it either since my rewind hasn't worked since the day Chloe died. I'm starting to think it's permanently gone and that I'll never get to see Chloe again.

"I only got to be with her a few days." Said Rachel quietly. "It's my fault she's gone. I knew how dangerous Damon was but I still went along with the plan." I noticed a tear rolling down her cheek. "It's my fault she's dead."

"Rachel, don't say that! It's not your fault, you are not the one that killed her. Damon did. We did the best we could to help." I was crying a little bit too now. I hugged her and she hugged me back, sobbing in my arms. "It's going to be okay Rachel, I'm going to find a way to get her back." I told her, but once the words escaped my mouth I regretted it. Would I ever get my rewind back?

*                          *                       *

The funeral was hard. Chloe was buried next to her father William in the Arcadia Bay cemetery. It was an open casket and seeing Chloe's normally playful expression turned to a pale, lifeless face in an eternal sleep was heartbreaking. At one point, right before the burial, a blue butterfly landed on her casket and it took everything I had not to break down. Everyone came to Chloe's funeral. Her mom, David, Warren, Victoria, Frank, her friend Steph, Justin Williams and even Principal Wells. I even heard Victoria say something about Chloe being at peace with Rachel again and I had to excuse myself for a moment.

Rachel was stubborn and devastated, refusing to even try to hide her identity. Luckily nobody noticed her since they were focused on Chloe. She felt responsible for Chloe's death and had been in a constant state of mourning over the past four days. She would wake up screaming at night, and sometimes I'd wake up to just find her sitting and staring blankly at nothing. It was scary. Because of her behaviour David found out that she was alive and Joyce and I had to explain everything to him. I'm getting so fucking tired of this.

I managed to get Rachel back home before anyone recognized her. It was almost like babysitting a toddler. She wasn't herself. Without Chloe she was lost; I have no idea how she managed to live a whole year without even contacting Chloe, but now she may have to live the rest of her life without her because I'm fucking useless and couldn't save her.

Chloe is the only person that truly ever understood me. Ever since we were little kids, we've had a connection. Deeper than normal friends. I regret not acting on it further, but by the time I came back it was too late, she was enamoured by Rachel. I love Rachel, and I love that they love each other. I just wish she could have loved me the way that she loved Rachel. Maybe in another life. Or timeline.

Chloe is a part of me, always has been and always will be. I still haven't been able to accept the fact that I won't be able to ever speak to her again, hear her laugh again. I'd even deal with her loud ass punk music and fucking chain smoking if it meant she would still be alive. The thought of her buried in the ground made her physically ill. Most people wouldn't describe Chloe as a beacon of light, but that's what she is to me. Love, hope, trust. Everything. She's everything to me. And now she's dead.

Rachel walked into Chloe's room with me in tow. She took off her sunglasses and hat and tossed them onto Chloe's mess of a desk. She hadn't said anything the entire ride home. She was silent. It was hard to see the once bubbly, bright, warm girl so cold and quiet all of the sudden.

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you anything?" I asked her, leaning on the doorframe as she laid on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. "No, thank you." She replied in a whisper. I sighed and left the room to lock myself in the bathroom. I splashed water on my face and looked at myself in the mirror.

I wasn't the same person anymore. My eyes were dull and bloodshot and purple bags hung underneath them. I looked dead. I felt dead. I let down Chloe. I let down Joyce and Rachel and David and myself and there was no way to fix it. My rewind just stopped working. I had barely slept the past couple of days because I had been staying up staring at that stupid goddamn picture trying to rewind to that moment. It never worked.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and startled me. I placed a hand on my forehead and sighed, recovering. My phone had been blowing up non-stop since Chloe's death. Even Victoria Chase, fucking Victoria Chase sent her condolences. I looked at the screen. It was Warren. I really wasn't in the mood to talk, but I had been ignoring him a lot lately.

"Hi Warren," I said half heartedly as I raised the phone to my ear.

"Max! How are you holding up?" He asked, full of energy.

"That's a bit of a dumb question, Warren." I replied, sighing again.

"Fuck man, I'm sorry. I'm not really good when it comes to this kind of stuff. I have an idea though, about your rewind." He responded, the last part eager.

"Idea? Spill." I replied, a little too quickly.

"You've been trying to travel through the picture right?" He asked.

"Yes, and it never fucking works."
"And it's on the phone right?"
"Yes Warren, I don't see how that-"
"Have you ever been able to travel through a digital photo?" He cut me off.
"Well...no, I haven't." I responded thoughtfully.
"It's probably just a dumb idea, but what if you need to have physical contact with the picture in order to get through it?"
"You're a genius Warren. I owe you, I'm going to try it. Tonight." I replied excitedly.

"Goodbye!" I hung up quickly, without waiting for a response. If this was my chance to save Chloe, I wasn't about to fuck it up and wait around.