Chapter Text
Max shifted in her computer chair, anxiously glancing down at the bottom right corner of her laptop's screen. It was the night of September 20th and she was waiting for her old friend from Oregon, where she was raised, to get on skype. She sat up straighter when the incoming call chime went off. She was met by the crooning of "MAD MAAAXXX" by her blue hair companion. She giggled and tilted her head "You snuck on! Didn't even see the notif!" She frowned. Chloe snerked "More like you were zoned out thinking about tomorrow. You'll be fine Max." Chloe said insistently. Max rolled her eyes "Chloe not all of us get blessed with lovely Dominants like Rachel. I don't even want one to begin with, why does this have to happen?"
See, Max already knew she was a sub. She remembered waking up on her sixteenth birthday with the black unfilled triangle stinging atop her wrist and just feeling the overwhelming disappoint curl into her stomach. That birthday was important but this one, taking place tomorrow, was even more so as she'd find out who her Dominant was. Max was still feeling the disappointment even though she hadn't met her Dominant yet. Chloe was a year older than Max and had already met her Dominant and formed her soul bond. Rachel didn't look like the typical Dominant. She had beautiful blonde hair with a single blue feather, matching her bright mates’ hair. She also had a very cherubic face. But Max knew that she was one of the strictest Dom's she knew. Not by force but by voice.
"Honestly Max it won't be so bad." Chloe snorted causing Max to snarl at her phone “No Chloe, you’re completely wrong! I’m not the type to just submit and grovel at the feet of some stuck up Dom!” "That's not how it works max.... It's really a special thing." Chloe spoke with a soft voice "I promise you you'll be fine" "Wowzers Chloe..." She muttered in a panic "What if I get a crazy Dom who locks me up and I never see the sun and die of brittle bone disease from lack of Vitamin D?" She shouted out, freaking out. Chloe chortled, completely humored "Alright that's a bit extreme Maxine, the worst thing that’s ever happened to me was getting grounded for a weekend for being out past curfew without Rachel. And we both know how I am.” She snorted “The best advice I can give you is to get a good night's sleep and call me when your name forms. Love you!" She cheered. And with that the phone was hung up. Max let out a defeated sigh and let her head fall onto her desk.
"Alright sweetheart?" Vanessa, her mother, called as she knocked on the door. "Are you worrying yourself again?" she sighed, feeling for her daughter but also wishing she would just let go of her reserves and realize this would make her happy. Vanessa remembered being in her place and how she worried herself sick. But meeting and submitting to Ryan was the best thing she could have done.
“No.” Max groaned, turning her head to face her mother “I really don’t wanna do this.” She sighed, rubbing her eye and looking at her mom. Vanessa smiled sympathetically opening her mouth to say something until Ryan interrupted and called her down to help him make dinner. Vanessa excused herself, rushing down the stairs.
Max sighed and turned back to her laptop, she clicked the safari tab and waited for it to load up going to Facebook to go to Chloe’s profile. She clicked through photos of Rachel and her sighing wistfully “Maybe if I was in Oregon with them, things would be a little bit easier.” She sighed scrolling down Chloe’s timeline. She was surprised to see a photo collection of Chloe and Rachel at a party. It made her wish that she still went to a public school and was no longer homeschooled. She clicked through the names list of people tagged “Rachel Amber, Chloe Price, Dana Ward, Juliet Watson, Victoria Chase, Taylor Christensen, Courtney Watson, Hayden Jones, Zachary Riggins, Nathan Prescott, and Logan Robertson.” She mumbled along “A few of those are familiar.” She nods shrugging, starting the task of clicking to some profile. She studied the pairings within the group until she was called down for dinner.
She rushed down the stairs eager for a last family dinner. “Hello Maxine.” Ryan kissed her head handing her a loaded plate so she could head to the dinner table. “Hi, Poppa.” She smiled to herself, settling down at the dining room table. She waited for her parents to sit before she started eating. Ryan then took a bit and Vanessa waited until he gave her a nod to start eating. “Sorry I won’t be there for your big day tomorrow kiddo. I gotta fly out tonight for those meetings.” Ryan turned one side of his mouth up in a sort of apologetic smile. Max nods “That’s alright.” She nods curtly, shoving her mouth full of the salad so she wouldn’t have to say anything else on the topic. Vanessa got the hint and changed the topic leaving Ryan none the wiser.
After dinner the girls were left to clean up dinner while Ryan went upstairs to finish pack. Vanessa was trying to pry on the subject but was would just brush it off. She was getting more and more curt. Ryan came down and gave both his ladies a kiss before he headed out to the airport. “Really Max, I wish you wouldn’t be like this. It’s our last night together and you’re being so quiet.” “Well I’m sorry mom but in five short hours I have to do possibly the worst thing in my entire life.” She exclaims, throwing the towel she was using to dry the dishes down and stomping up the stairs. She popped into the bathroom and brushed her teeth figuring it was just better to sleep it off at this point. She lies down on her bed and fell into sleep rather easily.
Five hours later, Max officially started to panic. A few minutes after the clock stroked midnight, her right arm was starting to itch. She knew a name was beginning to form. It could take anywhere from minutes to hours for a name to fully emerge upon the skin. Max angrily shoved her arm under her pillow, contemplating chopping the limb off all together.
She figured she could go and talk to her mother but quickly decided it against it due to the late hour. As there was no one else to talk to she got up and grabbed her laptop from her desk, opening it and clicking to google typing “I don’t want a Dom” in the search engine. All that brought up were stories of failed escape attempts, the gruesome punishments listed after. Frightening things! She quickly shut her laptop and laid back down just planning on sleeping it off.
It was around three in the morning when Max was too tired to keep her eyes open. Red blotches were on her arm in the place the name would be. The terrible itching and turned into a tolerable throbbing and Max closed her eyes and prayed for time to stop.