Life is Grimm
Chapter III: Little Pieces of Time
"For a while they stood there, like men on the edge of a sleep where nightmare lurks, holding it off, though they know that they can only come to morning through the shadows."
-The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
A dim blue light fell on the orange trees of Columbia Park while a cool autumn breeze rustled the leaves out of place. People milled about, jogging, walking their dogs, skateboarding, or just taking in the scenery. Things had been relatively calm for a while, so much so that Nick Burkhardt had little to do in between cases. He sat idle on a bench, flicking through his iphone, calmly taking in the fall atmosphere. It had been seven months since the Zerstorer attacked Portland, and Nick, along with his Grimm family slain it. Things were noticeably quiet since then. No more wesen terrorist groups like 'Black Claw' to speak of, no doomsday prophecies leering overhead, and wesen related crime had been less weird than usual. Sure, the work laid out for him still far outdoes anything he and his police partner Hank have dealt with before Nick realized he was a Grimm, but it is still easier to solve a case of a blutbad tearing someone's limbs off than it was to track down a varme tyv who sucked the heat from their victim.
While scrolling through his social media feed, he noticed the lighting change around him from a blue hue to a vibrant orange. Voices around him picked up, pointing to the spectacle.
"Woah, Becky look up! I didn't hear there was a solar eclipse happening today, did you?" He heard one woman say. When he looked to the sky, he saw it was clearly that there was a solar eclipse happening. Looking back down at his phone, he checked the local news to see if there was any mention of a solar eclipse. Without hesitation, there was already a post about it in the developing stories tab. 'Breaking: Solar Eclipse happens three months early. Tune in later for expert analysis of the topic', posted 1 minute ago. His ringtone begins playing and Nick's reading was interrupted by a call from Hank.
"What's up, Hank?" he answers.
"Hey, Nick, the captain just called me a few minutes ago, said he needed you and I at the Precinct."
"On my way, by the way, did you see the eclipse."Nick asks.
"Yeah, I was driving down Colombia. Had to pull over so I didn't get blinded, so figured I'd call since I'm here."
"Doesn't it seem just a little weird to you?"
"I'm used to weird, Nick." Hank chuckled.
"True. Meet you there." Nick hung up the phone, putting it in his pocket before heading back to his car, taking the walk as a moment ponder what could be going on, but simply concluded that it is was best to worry about it later.
Nick entered the station after the brief ride from the park. It was late so the employee count was slim. A crew of essentials and night shift members walked the halls, some answering phone calls, and others were filing paperwork. One officer brought a man shouting obscenities through the halls to a cell, ending the man's yelling with 'You have the right to remain silent.' Nick however was still confused by the eclipse, and he was not alone as he heard chatter from the other officers about it. While lost in thought, another officer walked by, catching Nick's attention.
"Hey, Nick. Hank is already with the captain and with two other folks. Best not to keep them waiting too long." Sergeant Wu caught sight of Nick and gestured in the direction of the captain's office.
"Thanks, Wu." Nick nodded.
"So, by any chance do you happen to know why there was an eclipse earlier?" Wu asked, clicking his pen against a clipboard.
"I wish I knew. Looked it up and there wasn't supposed to be one today."
"Same, was hoping you had an explanation for it."
"I wish. Haven't read anything in the books about off schedule lunar events."
"Yeah, between that and the snow that happened up in Arcadia, I'd say things are getting pret-ty strange around here. Not like we aren't used to it or anything. Anyway, you should go see what the captain wants." Wu nods goodbye and sits back at his desk to file some paperwork as Nick heads to the captain's office to see what is going on. He opens the door to the to see Sean Renard standing behind his desk and Hank sitting patiently next to a couple.
"Got here just in time, Nick. I was about to brief Hank without you." Renard declared, pointing to the door, implying Nick close it.
"Thanks captain, so what's going on." Nick replied, shutting the door and walking in.
"Mr. and Mrs. Marsh, care to explain to Detective Burkhardt why it is you're here?" he asks. Nick observes the two. The woman is rocking in her chair, visibly distraught. Immediately he can see her woge, revealing white woolen fur, eyes like a herd animal, and hooved hands, all while retaining her hair which was neatly tied in a bun. He recognized she was unmistakably a seelengut for certain. The man on the other hand was much more composed, he did not woge, but he looked to Nick with some degree of familiarity.
"You're the Grimm I've heard so much about, yes Mr. Burkhardt?" his voice was slow, calm, but not without distress. Nick raised his brow before addressing him. It was common for him to be recognized while working on a case, but rare for someone to seek him out.
"Yes, that would be correct Mr. Marsh."
"Richard." the man said, standing to exchange a handshake with Nick, before sitting back down to further explain everything. "Well, then I've come to the right people. My wife and I just the heard news that, um, our daughter, Katie just tried to, well, commit suicide." the calm demeanor he held began to crumble as he tried to explain why they were here. "Please, if you would, I would like you to find the ones responsible for driving her attempt this."
The woge Mrs. Marsh had faded, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her cross necklace.
"I know, I wasn't the kindest mother, but… I never thought Kate would try to-" her words trailed off, trying to keep back the regret she was feeling.
"It wasn't your fault honey. She's safe now. God's keeping a good eye on our little Katie. That's why she's still with us..." Richard wrapped his arm around his wife, doing his best to comfort her.
Nick watched, thinking about his son, Kelly, and wondering what sort of future he was going to have. He did not learn he was a Grimm until his mid twenties and wondered how Kelly will take it, being exposed to wesen, or even just dealing with normal life. At least he's surrounded by the right people to teach him about the wesen world, but it still brings concern.
"So, your daughter, Kate attempted suicide. Do you know why this was? Was this over bullying at her school?" Hank asked, trying to get a full picture of the situation. Mr. Marsh turned his body to Nick, not taking his eyes off of the floor.
"Definitely. Ever since this god forsaken video of her at a party was put online, she had been receiving so much harassment over it. She dare not speak about it since she was so embarrassed. Understandably so, but god will forgive her." he woged too, same kind wesen as his wife. He glanced at Nick only to be startled seeing a Grimm face to face.
"Sorry sir, I-" he retracted the woge, looking to the floor again.
"No Mr. Marsh, you don't need to apologize. We understand. We'll do everything we can to help your daughter." Nick replied, trying his best to sound reassuring.
"Thank you Mr. Burkhardt, you too Detective Griffin. See to it that justice is met." He stood up, and put on his coat and helped his wife stand, holding her hand, escorting her out the door.
"Have a safe evening you two, we'll let you know if we find out anything Mr. and Mrs. Marsh." Renard told them on their way out.
Before leaving, Mr. Marsh turns to the detectives to say "God bless you, Grimm." Nick closes the door behind him and turns to the captain to be briefed about the case.
"Well gentlemen, we have an interesting case on our hands." he exclaims, sitting at his desk, pulling out several folders.
"What I'm guessing is that this is wesen for sure?" Hank asks, grabbing the top folder.
"Yes, as I'm sure you saw, Nick, Mr. and Mrs. Marsh are seelenguter who run a local church group. Their daughter attempted to commit suicide jumping off of the girl's dormitory at Blackwell Academy." Renard stated, opening a laptop he had ready for them to see.
"Blackwell? That doesn't sound local." Hank said.
"That's because it isn't. It's a private arts school in Arcadia Bay just a few hours west of here."
"We don't get many out of town cases, why us and not A.B.P.D.?" Nick asked, examining the contents of one of the folders.
"Well, Kate's parents wanted you specifically on the case. It took a lot of negotiating with the department to get you two on board. I see you already have the folder for Nathan Prescott." Renard pointed to the folder Nick was studying.
"D.U.I., vandalism, attempted robbery, etcetera. Nothing too out of the ordinary aside from all of them being cleared. He's wesen too I'm guessing?" Nick inquired, shutting the folder.
"Yes, hundjager. Mr. Prescott belongs to a powerful family, which is why his charges all list as cleared. Right now he's our number one suspect. I gathered that Principal Wells questioned him, along with another student with an officer present. The other student, named Maxine Caulfield stated that Mr. Prescott allegedly drugged Kate at a party, which resulted in the aforementioned video and subsequent bullying. Ms. Caulfield also accused Mr. Prescott of bringing a gun on campus, though the department told me they concluded it was was false. I, of course have my suspicions, but now it's your job to find out the truth." Nick examined another folder while the captain dispensed information. This one was Maxine's folder. Spotless record, not even a misdemeanor drug charge. It seemed understandable to Nick how the two are so adversarial.
"Well then, should we head out tonight so we can start the investigation tomorrow morning?" Nick said, closing the folder.
"Yes, but before you go, I want you to watch the video of what transpired earlier." Renard says, turning the laptop around so Nick and Hank can see.
The video plays. The quality stands out as mediocre due to the poor lighting and rain, but everything pertinent can be seen just fine regardless. At the edge of the building stood Kate Marsh, her back to the crowd. A mix of young voices is drowned out by the rain, but when she turns to the crowd the voices pick up, soon enough, audible screams come through the speakers as she attempts to jump, but is thankfully pulled back onto the roof by another student. The video ends suddenly when they hear frantic fumbling to turn the recording off.
"I'm guessing the student who saved her was Ms. Caulfield?" Hank asked.
"Yes. Ms. Marsh was nearly off of the roof, and if it wasn't for her friend, events would have turned out tragic" Renard replied, closing the laptop and putting it to the side.
"I bet the parents owe her a huge debt." Nick added.
"I don't know about that, they think the hand of God saved her, and considering how far she was off of the roof before Maxine pulled her in, I don't blame them for thinking that. Anyway, you two should get going. Find a local hotel, all expenses will be covered by the department so feel free to stay wherever is most convenient for the investigation. I'll keep in contact." the captain motions his hand telling them to leave and the the two comply. Hank picks up his jacket and Nick tucks the folders Renard gave him under his arm. After they've left the office, Hank goes over to his computer to shut it down since it won't be in use for a while.
"I haven't been to Arcadia yet. Wonder what it's like." Nick asked, leaning against the desk with the folders tucked under his arm.
"I drove through a couple of times. Small town, quiet. Looks like this week has thrown them for a loop though."
"We should tell Monroe and Rosalee that we're going out of town for a while."
"Yeah, I think you're right, Nick. I'd say you ought to go tell'em. They're probably at the spice shop right now. I'll head home and pack some essentials."
"Alright, just meet me at the spice shop then."
"See you there." Nick and Hank left the station and headed their separate ways so they could prepare for the trip.
Nick pulled up to the spice shop and was glad to see it still in operation. One customer just left with a bag of herbs with Rosalee just behind him to switch the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed'. Nick exited his SUV and made his way into the shop. The bell rung as he opened the door and his friends Monroe and Rosalee turn to greet him.
"Hey, Nick. What brings you here?" Rosalee asks gleefully.
"Well, Hank and I have a new case."
"Already? Didn't we just help you with one three days ago?" Monroe replies, scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, though I am not here to ask for help. Just telling you that Hank and I have to go to Arcadia Bay for this one."
"Really? Do you need any help?" Rosalee asks as she shuffles around the store stocking various jars of various unusual ingredients.
"No, I think Hank and I can do it on our own. Might ask for help over the phone, but beyond that this doesn't seem like a particularly bizarre case. Besides, you have "
"You know, Nick, I've got some family there I haven't seen in awhile." Monroe says, taking slow, deliberate steps around the delicate merchandise.
"Really? I didn't know that." Nick replied, stunned at the new information
"Yeah, was wondering if, you know, I could come with. I would like to get back touch with Bill and them."
"I'd be happy having you along with, but you should probably ask her for permission." The two look over to Rosalee holding a small vial of spices.
"You can go. Just be sure to stay safe. Maybe we could have them help us out with the kids sometime?"
"Thanks, that's a good idea. I'll be sure to call when we get there."
"So, Nick, when are you guys leaving?" She asks.
"Hank is already packing. I think we ought to head off tonight so we can find a place to settle in so we can start early."
"Guess I should pack too, huh." Monroe adds, making his way to the door.
"Well, that would be wise." Rosalee stops him at the door to give him a kiss. The two exchange a smile before he leaves. The door closes and she returns to stocking more wares.
"Since you're here, how about we talk about this adventure you're taking my Monroe on." Rosalee puts another loose jar away.
"Well, a girl just attempted to kill herself at her school."
"Oh my god that's awful. Is she okay?" Rosalee stops what she's doing for a moment, showing concern.
"Yeah, her friend saved her. She likely tried to do it because of some bullying over a video of her where she might have been drugged by another student."
"Kids these days are so… so horrible to each other! And the internet isn't helping either..." Rosalee begins thinking to herself while she puts away more ingredients. Being a mother of three now, she becomes visibly upset at the thought of her children encountering such horrible trauma, forgetting the force she was using to stock items.
"Well, we got involved because the parents specifically sought us out. The one suspected of drugging her belongs to a powerful family of hundjager."
"Oh, so an entitled brat takes advantage of a young girl. God what a piece of-"
-Crack!
One of the jars fell off of the shelves as Rosalee slammed something onto one of them.
"Damn!" Rosalee huffs, reaching for a nearby dustpan. Nick goes to help, bringing a bin to the accident and picking up two large shards of glass to toss.
"Here, I'll get it." He offered.
"No no, it's fine, Nick, I'm just… a little upset."she pauses, taking a moment to breathe. "Poor thing, I hope you catch this son of a bitch." she says, carefully kneeling down to clean up the broken glass and now ruined batch ground tosses the jar's remains into the bin Nick brought and put it away by the counter.
"So, would you care for some tea?"
"Thank you very much. Anything that will keep me awake please." he answered.
"Very well, I have just the thing." Rosalee grabs a nondescript looking bag from a cabinet containing pre-ground tea leaves and heads to the side room where some brewing equipment is.
"Thanks, Rosalee. By the way, Hank is dropping by too."
"Three cups it is then." she says cheerfully as she grabs an extra cup.
"So, you'll be going to Arcadia Bay for a few days?" Adalind asked, curious about Nick's out of town venture. It was not often for him to go outside of Portland for police work.
"Yeah, the parents of the victim specifically wanted us to investigate it. They knew who I was."
"Seems like everyone knows about you being a Grimm." she replied while tending to Diana and Kelly's dinner.
"Guess so. Hey Diana, how are you doing with your homework?" he asked the patiently hungry girl sitting at the dinner table.
"Do you even need to ask, Nick? You know I do it right as they give it to me, right?" she replied in monotone, tilting her head.
"Yes, I know, but how are your grades?" he retorted.
"The teacher's stingy. She says she'll give me my grade Friday when fall break starts."
"I'm sure she's doing just fine, right, Diana?" Adalind butted in, putting a plate of mashed potatoes and a chicken breast for Diana while Kelly received a hearty helping of spinach mush.
"Yup! I should have an A+ in every subject." Diana grinned.
"Well that's good." Nick replied patting her on the back.
"So where are you going? I heard you and mommy talking about how you'll be gone."
"Oh, I'll be going to Arcadia Bay, it isn't far so you won't have to worry about me too much I'd hope."
"I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about the girl." she stated, taking in a spoonful of potatoes.
"Well, from what I know, she's fine, we just need to find out who bullied-"
"No, I'm worried about the other one." Diana interrupted. She had always had a peculiar sixth sense, but it felt extra alarming this time around.
"Honey, I think you shouldn't get to wrapped up in Nick's job, after all, he is a police detective and a Grimm, now eat your chicken before it gets too cold."
"Yes mommy." she said, taking a fork and knife to the freshly cooked meat. Nick motioned for Adiland to follow him to the other end of the kitchen for a more discreet chat.
"That was weird." Nick stated, grabbing a plate to clean rinse.
"Yeah, I mean I know she can sense things, but that seemed a little beyond even her level of 'normal'. Who is this 'other girl' she mentioned."
"Well, the only other girl we know of right now is Maxine Caulfield. She is responsible for saving the girl who tried to jump off her school building. Maybe the guy she ratted out for drugging her friend might go after her which seems likely."
Yeah, you better get on that then. If Diana is sensing something though, I think you need to look into it a little more than that." just as Adalind finished her sentence, the loft elevator activated, eventually the gate opened to reveal Hank and Monroe. It was time for them to go.
Nick decided to leave the SUV home for Adalind to use while they took one of the detective cars instead. They figured it would be more appropriate to bring a work vehicle to an investigation. Adalind gave Nick a kiss goodbye before he stepped into the car. As they pulled out they waved goodbye to each other as the garage door lowered.
"So what's this family you got like? They blutbad too?" Hank asks Monroe.
"You'd be right. Thing is, I haven't seen them in like… seven years. Not to mention I have no idea what they'd think of me being friend's with Nick." Monroe takes one last sip of his beer before putting it away. Nick, after shifting into drive pulled the car out into the main road.
"You think they're even still there?" Hank asks.
"I don't think Bill would leave Arcadia. He's a creature of habit and his wife is dedicated to her diner like no other."
"They got any kids." Nick asks while starting the car.
"One, last I checked. My niece, Chloe. She's probably in college by now no doubt. Brilliant kid."
"You think so?" Hank asks.
"I'd sure hope so. Even if she isn't, she's still my captain Chloe." Nick just looks into the mirror and gives Monroe a reassuring smile.
"So... have you guys figured out a place where we'll be staying? Wherever it is I'm calling my own room."
"Don't know, Monroe. Hank, you mind looking up hotels in Arcadia Bay."
"Sure. I think I've got an app for that." The three set off for Arcadia Bay to start their investigation.
Thunder roars and wind howls as rain pours from the sky. Max feels caught in a storm again. Is this another vision? she wondered. Max examines her surroundings, everything was a blur, but she could tell that the floor beneath her was purely artificial. It had borders, and everything started coming into view as Max turns to look at her surroundings, to stop on one particular shape close to one of the edges. She tries to focus on what is in front of her, a silhouette. It was someone she recognized, in a scene all too familiar. It was-
"Kate!" She screams. Again, Kate stands at the edge of the roof of the girls' dormitories, tears and rain staining her cheeks as she looks back at Max, face full of dread.
"I'm sorry, Max. I… I can't live like this anymore. I'm in a nightmare and I can't wake up." She turns her gaze to the horizon and outstretches her arms to face the edge of the roof. No I have to stop this! Max tries desperately to move, to bend time, to woge again, anything that could stop Kate, instead she felt paralyzed, unable to act.
"I wonder if there even is a god anymore… I guess I'll find out. Won't I?" Max finally finds the strength to free herself from her invisible bonds. She rushes forward in an attempt to grab her but it was too late. Kate tumbled forward, screams of fear and panic filled Max's ears.
She reaches the edge only to find Kate, broken against the ground three stories below. The body was surrounded by the faces of her peers who now look at Max in despise. Sobbing, Max fell to her knees and screamed.
"Kate!" Max yelled, jerking awake, stirring Kate's rabbit from her sleep. Oh thank god. It was just a dream. She buried her face in her hands, shaking, still recovering from the nightmare. I'm so happy things didn't turn out that way. I couldn't live with myself if I let Kate die.
Max stood up to stretch, relieving the tension from sleeping on her desk. Drowsily she stumbled over to the cage to give the rabbit some food. She knelt down and grabbed some food from the bag to put into its dish. Are you a hungry bunny? Here, nosh on this... The rabbit made its way to the dish and began happily chewing on the food Max left for her. Max extended her hand to pet the little bunny, calming the both of them.
"Mommy's coming back soon. I promise." Max smiled and closed the cage door to go check her phone. Chloe left two messages. 'I have something to show you meet me in front of campus' and just now 'get dat ass in gear NOW'. I knew Chloe would be all over this… So I better get moving… Gotta check one last thing before I go though. Max turns to her plant, which she dubbed 'Lisa' and looked in disappointment at the browning leaves. Oh I'm sorry, Lisa… I save Kate but I drown my own plant…
Max gave one last farewell to her plant before focusing on her and Chloe's investigation. She exited the room only to find a dark hallway with someone sitting against the wall just outside her door. Strangely enough, it was the one and only Victoria Chase… What is she doing sitting outside of my dorm and is that-?
"Victoria, what are you doing here? And are you drinking?" Max asks pointing to the flask Victoria is clutching between her hands.
"Surprised you aren't drinking… y'know… after today." Her words were slightly slurred, but carried sincerity and truth to them.
"You're right, Victoria. Today was rough on all of us." Max sat down just opposite of her. I'll chat with her for a couple minutes. Won't hurt… Right?
"Max…" She looks up from the floor for a moment to lock eyes with Max. There was something there, something that seemed new, yet at the same time, it reminded her of their scuffle in the bathroom.
"I'm… I'm fucking shorry for everything I did to you… and to Katie. I f-feel like…" She paused and drooped her head again. Max could see her transform again. Fuchsbau… I think.
"Like shit?" Max finished for her, prompting Victoria to look up again. I wonder if she even realizes she's woged?
"Thanks, Max."
"Hey, do you even realize you're woged right now Victoria."
"It's kay… I don't think it is a… um…" The woge faded along with Victoria's train of thought. Why did she woge for seemingly no reason? I have to think about it or use my powers to do it? Is there more to it than I thought?
"What is it Victoria?"
"Oh. I don't think it's a fu… full woge. Sometimes, like… when you're really sad… it just happens." Victoria squints at Max, waiting for her response.
"Oh. Really? You can woge from being sad? How do you not get seen?"
"Figures that the hipster barely knows a damn thing about woge."
"Well can you teach me about it? If you're even cognitive enough to do it."
"Thing is, Max. There are two woges... One people can see, and one people can't… the one people can is a… full woge. The offer, only wesen, like us can." Victoria attempts to take another drink from the flask only to have Max take it away.
"You don't need anymore."
"Fair enough. Any other dumb questions?"
"What about Grimm?"
"They can see us… when people can't. Just like wesen."
"Have you ever met one? I've heard stuff about them… but I don't really understand." When Max asked, Victoria simply shook her head.
"Well, do you at least know anything else about them?"
"Only that. They see wesen, but aren't... Oh, and they like cutting off our heads."
"Yikes!" Max said. She read about it before, even hearing about them again from Chloe, but it still sounded scary to hear it brought up again. Victoria curled up some more, zoning out completely. Well, this conversation isn't going any further right now and I'm sure Chloe's pissed. I'll rewind a bit and not ask. I think I got everything I could out of drunk Victoria. Max held out her hand and time spun backwards briefly, stopping before Victoria's drunk, emotional meltdown.
"I'm… I'm fucking shorry for everything I did to you… and to Katie. I f-feel like…" Just like before. Victoria was woged again, but this time, Max didn't even bother asking about it.
"Like shit?" Max said again.
"Thanks, Max."
"I forgive you, Victoria… But, it's Kate that's the one you need to say sorry too… And stay away from that fucking flask." Max takes the flask from Victoria again. Her woge fades and she furrows her brows at Max, though she did not seem all that angry.
"I've got to go, Tori. Good talk." Max walks away throwing the flask drinking end down into a garbage can before heading out the door, skipping Dana's open room.
"T… Tori?" Victoria says under her breath, burying her face in her knees.
Max makes her way to the courtyard at the front of her dormitory, stopping in the middle of the courtyard, finding herself examining the area around her. Fireflies dance around the lamp posts and squirrels feed on left behind snacks. She looks up to the moon hovering above. Her eyes later drifted to the rooftop. She was reminded of what happened earlier, about how Kate nearly jumped off of the ledge. I'm going to find out the truth… For you, Kate. Max continued to gaze off into the distance, finding herself a place to sit and contemplate under the moonlight. These powers. I wonder how I got them. Was I always a hexenbiest? If so, how come my parents never told me about it? Was I... blessed or something? Cursed sounds more like it… Either way, I feel kind of invincible now. It's so weird.
Max sees a figure near another building. Upon squinting, she could see that it was Principal Wells, trying to get into the building, looking and sounding even more drunk than Victoria was. Principal Wells, are you serious? I'm toast if he sees me.
"Ah fuck it, I'm sitting my ass down. Nobody can expel me... Not yet anyway." Wells sat down at the steps preceding the door to the building, stumbling into place. Max went near the bushes, attempting to sneak by, relying on the darkness to cover her. It wasn't enough however, as Wells managed to spot her.
"Miss Caulfield, you have to be stealthier than that." Shit. Reluctantly, Max walked over to him. "You're not supposed to be outside your dormitory at this hour. You know that." Wells continued.
"I'm sorry, Principal Wells… I'm still tense after I thought Kate was going to jump today… I just needed some air and space to walk-"
"No, no explanations. Seeing Kate come up on that roof… then seeing her come down with you. You saved her ass. Pff, maybe saved Blackwell. Now don't get cocky. Go on back inside. You earned… good dreams." Max shifted away from Wells slightly. She could smell the whisky three feet away, so she felt it best to put some distance between them. Of course, like nearly every encounter since the morning before, she saw yet another woge happen. Ripples rolled across Wells' skin, growing a short coat of hair, morphing his nose to be wider and more bull-like, and long, curved horns peeked out of his head. It was the most distinct woge she had seen yet. Christ, that's fucking scary. Should I even ask?
Before Max could even take another second to think, he turned his head towards her and noticed her wide-eyed expression. Even drunk, he understood what was going on and shot the first inquiry.
"You're no Grimm, but I can tell when a one of my wesen students sees me too miss Caulfield." His woge retracted, horns and all, but his stern look remained.
"Sorry for staring. I haven't seen that before." she mumbled.
"I had no idea you were wesen too… I thought you were human. After all, your parents never mentioned anything about it to me." Max stood silent, wondering what to even say. Wait, so if my parents knew I was a hexenbiest, why didn't they mention it to him… or… did they even know at all.
"No staring like a deer in the headlights, come on, you can talk to me." he asked.
"I'm uh…" I know he's trying to be friendly but I just don't know about Wells giving me life advice on being wesen. Still, he is an adult after all. Max composed herself and continued "I'm a hexenbiest. I… sorta found out about it two days ago. I'm still figuring stuff out." Max fidgeted with her jacket, wondering what to add.
"A late bloomer I see. I was the same way. Had my first Woge at 17. Freaked me the hell out... Well, since you're a hexenbiest, feel free to ask Mrs. Grant about alchemy. I'm sure she can put that hexenbiest talent of yours to good use." Wells said, offering sincere advice..
"Thanks Principal Wells, I'll consider it but if my chemistry grade is any indication... I think I'll pass."
"Please, do work on that. Now go back to your dormitory before I call David to escort you." Ugh, anything but him. Max nodded and stepped away. She held her hand out and rewound back to the point when Wells was trying to force his way into the door. This time being sure to get by while his back was turned. Max the ninja strikes again! She made her way to the gate and left to the front of the campus.
Max tried scouting for Chloe, seeing as this was where they were supposed to meet. It was simply crickets as she looked in every direction conceivable. Walking forward some more she heard a rustling behind her turning around to find-
"BOO-YA-" Max woged and hissed as a response to being jumped by a woged Chloe Price, eyes red and snarling a little before reversing her woge. Max gripped her jacket where her heart was, feeling it beat rapidly from the adrenaline before taking a deep breath and following Chloe's de-woge.
"Get it, BOO-yah? Like I'm a scary punk ghost…" Chloe said, smiling, proud of her prank-pun combo.
"More like a scary punk asshole! Christ Chloe, I didn't exactly have the greatest day trying to keep my friend from jumping off the roof. And besides, I could have seriously messed you up back there so I don't think I need you to prank me tonight, 'kay?" Max said sternly, trying to get Chloe to comprehend the gravity of the situation.
"Sorry, but you absolutely balls to the walls did save your friend!"
"Yeah… but I almost lost her too. My power over time was completely shot and my head felt like it was being crushed… but somehow I pulled a miracle out of my ass with one of my other wonky powers I can't even explain." Max looked to her hand, studying it, attempting to understand. What went wrong… more importantly, what went right?
"Look, Kate is alive because of you. Don't beat yourself up. You're a total rock star, Max. And your badass powers are going to save us all. We just need to connect the players." Chloe said, trying to be considerate, while attempting to move things forward.
"And find out who almost killed Kate. We have to stop this from happening to anybody else."
"Oh yeah, and somehow stop that tornado from wiping out Arcadia Bay… right?" Chloe continued, referring to Max's visions.
"I hope so, Chloe, but how? Snow and eclipse are bad omens."
"This whole town is a bad omen. And notice that Blackwell seems to be ground zero."
"Chloe, I just feel weird about some of my decisions… Especially after I just got Nathan Expelled." Max fidgeted with her jacket while speaking. It has only been two days since I got my powers and already I've changed so much… I don't know how I feel about this.
"Dude, do not even torture yourself like that. Let's focus on looking for clues, okay?" Reassuring as ever Chloe.
"Right, for one thing, there's too much coincidence between the people around Kate and Rachel."
"Like step-prick and Nathan Prescott?" Chloe added.
"Of course, they're both sociopaths."
"More like psychopaths. The Blackwell security officer even hits his own step daughter..." Chloe stated, referring the time David hit her on Monday while Max hid in the closet.
"And even though I don't know her, I feel like Rachel is guiding us to the truth."
"Fuck the truth, I just wanna find my friend right now." Chloe's eyes blazed red for a brief moment. "It scares me to think where she could be… Do you think she's…" Chloe trails off, leaving the air feeling stiff as she lets her imagination run.
"Alive? I have to think that, Chloe. Her spirit is so powerful here…"
"You would know, being a hexenbiest and all. Max, we have to find Rachel soon. We have to…"
"I promise you we will. Like you said, it's time to start the search for clues. Now tell me, what's your secret?"
"Drum roll please…" Chloe reached into her pocket, grinning ear to ear, pulling out a set of keys, dangling them proudly in front of Max. "I present the spare keys to Blackwell. Thank you, step-prick"
"You are such a boss, Chloe. I just don't want you to get into any more trouble."
"Look at all the trouble dropping in Arcadia Bay. At this point, who gives a fuck anymore? We're in it to win it, Max. Lead the way." Chloe patted Max's back as a gesture to get her moving along. Max responded in kind as they set off.
"I'm so glad you're my partner in crime." Max remarked.
"As long as you're my partner in time." Chloe responded in kind, giving Max a wink.
"Insert groan here…"
Max and Chloe proceed to venture into the Blackwell building. Surprisingly no one was present aside from Jefferson whom they had a close call with. They were able to sneak in and enter the main office. Between a combination of a phone-a-friend bomb making tutorial and them actually using it to get in, they break into Principal Well's office, only to trigger the alarm. Max fixes everything by going into the principal's office and dilating time back to before they commit jihad on a door, harmlessly unlocking it from the other side, surprising Chloe yet again with her magic.
The two look for clues in the principal's office, sifting through student files, digging up Kate, Rachel and Nathan's files. Max even took a peek at several other students' documents, and of course at her own and Chloe's files. Chloe even dug through Well's computer and found several files tied to Nathan.
"Max, you better come check out these files..." Chloe's voice was uneasy, after taking a glance at the screen, Max could see why. "Nathan accuses Rachel of bringing drugs on campus? And my step-troll went along with it because he thinks Rachel was a bad influence on me." she leans onto the desk to let Max get a better look at the files. "Assholes" she expresses.
"If David is teaming up with Nathan Prescott… That's a bad sign."
"Nathan Prescott the Third." Oooh, he's so money." she groans. "And you know the Prescotts dropped major bank to bury Nathan's real file." Chloe alt-tabs to another window with a folder ripe with dirt on Nathan. "Look, it reads like a rap sheet. Bad grades, teacher complaints, secret probation… but I was expelled?" Chloe huffs.
"The Prescotts always get their money's worth…" Max expressed, before noticing something on-screen that caught her attention. "Check out that note. Open it." she asked. Chloe opens the file to see what it was about. Holy shit. Max deciphered the almost illegible scribbles. If it weren't for the sheer amount of repetition, it would have been impossible to decipher.
"That's just some crazy drawing." Chloe responds.
"It's not a drawing… look, 'Rachel in the dark room… Rachel in the dark room…' Over and over. That's it." Looking back at Chloe, her eyes were glowing a steady red. She was pissed, so much so that if Nathan were there, he would tear his limbs off in a heartbeat, for this reason and the laundry list of others.
"That's… fucked up." she snarled. "What does this even mean? Nathan is truly psychotic… I know he has something to do with Rachel missing." Max continued to scroll through, afraid whatever else she might find would cause Chloe to go nuclear. Another weird file comes up and she reads it out to Chloe.
"Whoa, listen to this, 'David M. always asks what's going on in my head… David M. always helps me follow those he follows...' Pretty cryptic." Chloe's eyes fade to normal, but Max can still see that she's fuming with rage.
"No, it sounds like they've formed some sort of weird team- 'The Super He-Bros.'"
"Jesus, David was stalking Kate, hassling me, and now we know he was all over Rachel too…" Chloe got a determined look on her face, after hearing what Max had to say.
"Oh, we are so going into his garage files…" but her tone quickly shifted "Plus I'm getting a little paranoid in here. We got our info, let's bail. But maybe we shouldn't leave without a gift."
"No, you are not taking the cozy char." Max assumed.
"Max, do your powers include mind-reading? Or did you just rewind because I tried to steal the chair? Shit, I'm confused."
"It's the powers of best friendship. I know how you roll…" Max smiled. Chloe before getting up dug through one last drawer, immediately invested in what she found.
"Hullo, what have we here?" In Chloe's hands was an envelope containing a large sum of cash labeled 'handicapped fund'.
"Wowser, that's a lot for the 'handicapped fund'." Max stated. Chloe turns to her friend, eyes wide with a joyous expression on her face.
"Dude, there's five thousand dollars here. I could pay frank back tonight! This will chill him out after our showdown yesterday." Max looked on with disapproval. Man, I want Chloe to be debt free, especially from that creep from the junkyard. Chloe looked back to the money, and back to Max, expression flat.
"Are you going to make a big issue out of this? Or just rewind and take the greenbacks for yourself? I hope you do that instead of lecturing me." Shit… if I let her take the money, she'll have her debts paid, but then the cops will be looking for us no doubt. On the other hand if we leave it, she's gonna be pissed at me, and Frank will still be after her.
"Well Max, you done talking the the devil and angel on your shoulders yet?"
"I'm sorry, but do you really want to take money from the handicapped fund? I know you need to pay Frank back, but… you have me to protect you, right?" Max quickly expresses her stance, emphasizing her ability to keep Chloe safe, hoping she'll comply with not stealing the money. Chloe opens the drawer again and reluctantly shoves the money back into it."
"I guess Moral Max is right again. You do realize that puts both of us at risk, right?"
"Yeah, and so does taking it."
"Yeah, yeah, let's get the hell out of this office morgue." Chloe walks out with a huff. Max takes care to eliminate traces their digging by shutting down the computer. Wells is drunk enough not to remember if he left his PC on, right? Max also took only the files she needed, hoping no one would notice before meeting Chloe outside.
Using David's keys, the two sneak into the swimming pool for some 'splish splash', and later narrowly avoided escape since the guards came looking for intruders. After a quick getaway in Chloe's rusty truck and headed home to Chloe's house to catch a good night's sleep.
Moonlight shone through the evergreen trees as Nick and his crew drove along the main road. Just over the hill, a small number of lights flickered in the distance, along with the revolving beam of the lighthouse just atop the cliffs by the bay. Monroe did his best to stretch his limbs in the back of the car, then going back to look out of the window to look upon Arcadia Bay.
"Man, it's been a long time since I was last here. Wish I stuck around when I was." Monroe stated, eyeing the lighthouse in the distance. "It's just so calm here, you know?"
Nick kept his eyes on the road, trying not to let the exhaustion get to him. Hank on the other hand had long since dozed off, lying peacefully against the window of the passenger side.
"Hey Nick, you think you can turn on some music. I'm a little bored back here and I think we're close enough to get some reception now."
"Sure, Monroe" Nick flicked on the radio, having it take five seconds for the radio initialize and find a station.
"-tening to K.95.5 in the evening, up next we've got Obstacles, by the wonderful artist Syd Matters." the voice of a radio host exclaimed, followed by the smooth plucking of guitar strings. The music was soft, and filled the car without being overbearing. After about twenty seconds, the lyrics kicked in to accompany the instrumental.
"Let's say sunshine for everyone- But as far as I can remember- We've been migratory animals- Living under changing weather~" slow and droning, yet emotional vocals fill their ears, fitting nicely with the smooth instrumental.
"Hmn, sounds nice." Nick stated.
"Someday, we will foresee obstacles- Through the blizzard, through the blizzard- Today we will sell our uniform-Live together, live together~"
"Yeah, I agree. Very mellow. Fits this town to a 'T'" Monroe replied, rocking slightly to the tune of the song.
"Someday, we will foresee obstacles- Through the blizzard, through the blizzard- Today we will sell our uniform-Live together, live together~" more instruments picked up, backing the guitar, bringing with them a calmer atmosphere.
"We played hide and seek in waterfalls-We were younger, we were younger-We played hide and seek in waterfalls-We were younger, we were younger~" The voice echoed more, and these verses repeat some thirty seconds more.
"Someday, we will foresee obstacles- Through the blizzard, through the blizzard~" The lyrics end, and the instruments fade. Monroe then realized that they were already in the town, passing by a few houses.
"Looks like we're here. Now just to find a place to rest our eyes." Monroe declared, stretching again. Nick nudges Hank awake.
"Oh, wha-" Hank rubs his eyes.
"Hey, need you to help us find the place you mentioned."
"Yeah yeah, should be right here in my phone." Hank squinted, turning the phone back on since mid trip. "Um, says here we take a right in half a mile."
"Looks like that's it then." Nick said, keeping his attention to the road. He approach the turn, flicking on the blinker and making a right by the 'Hotel Country' sign just by the curb. He weaves carefully around the tight turn into the small parking lot and swiftly in the closest space to the building.
"Jeez, how long was that? Like what, three hours?" Monroe asked.
"Just two and a half." Hank replied. Monroe didn't even respond, just left the car to grab his bag from the trunk. The other two followed suit and entered the building.
Sitting behind a desk, flicking through a smartphone was a staff member. Young, probably a student at Blackwell Academy, Nick thought. Hank rung the bell to get her attention.
"Oh. Shit. Didn't see you guys." she closed her phone and sat it on the counter to greet her guests.
"We'd like two rooms please." Nick said. The girl knelt under the desk, looking for her reference sheet for pricing before standing back up.
"Alright guys, that will be, um-" she leans over and takes another glance at the sheet again. "One-hundred-eighty-two and seventy-five cents." Nick puts his work credit card on the counter and the receptionist takes it. She takes a moment to look at it.
"Police? From Portland? What brings you to this shit-hole?" Hank chuckles at the girl's lack of manners.
"Oh, just doing our job." Hank answered, still smiling.
"What's it about?"
"Confidential." Nick replied, dismissing the question.
"Boring." she sighs. "Well alright officers, you get rooms 103 and 104. They'll be just out that door and to your left. Please only arrest the other guests if you have to." she handed Nick two sets of keys and sits back down in the chair.
"Only if they give us a reason." Hank said, turning to walk out to the door with the others. They all drag their feet as they walk to their rooms, lazily hauling their luggage with them.
"Be sure you check the dressers, I don't want another alpe encounter like last time you had me sleep in a hotel." Monroe says, calling back to the time when he was used as bait to lure out an alpe, a wesen who feeds on sleep.
"Don't worry, I think the only thing we'll have to worry about is bed bugs." Nick replies, handing Monroe his key to 104.
"Not sure if that's an upgrade or not, but I'll take over an alpe any night." Monroe yawns, trying not to let it last too long "Catch you guys in the morning." he states drowsily.
Nick and Hank enter 103 and take their separate beds. Nick can overhear Monroe in the other room calling Rosalee, telling her that they made it safe. He opened his phone to do the same, opening his contacts and calling Adalind. It rang for a short while before she picked up.
"Hey, Nick…" she said, clearly having just woken up.
"Hey, Adalind, just wanted to let you know we got here safe."
"Well that's good. You looked pretty tired when you left."
"Yeah. It was a nice drive. This town is small though. I look forward to having breakfast at the diner Monroe mentioned."
"Ooh, sounds good. Well I wish you guys luck on your investigation, but I need to take Diana to school in the morning."
"Alright, I need some sleep too."
"Love you, Nick."
"Love you, too."
The phone hangs up and Nick puts it on the dresser along with the charger so it did not die while he was sleeping. They needed it for an alarm anyhow. Hank had already crawled into the other bed and was softly snoring, so Nick figured he should do the same. He got into bed and quickly drifted asleep, wondering what the next few days will bring.