Max was reared in an environment which nurtured without condition the importance of self-expression; thus was her creativity made to blossom with such vibrancy as to astonish even those caretakers who had set themselves to withdraw from that tender seed an excess of glory. Max had transcended expectation, exhibiting always a talent in artistry which manifested principally in an early fixation on photography; her father, ever the more perceptive - if also the more stern - of the couple, purchased therefore a camera for Max which she carried about her with nearly obsessive consistency. Even in youth, she sought to capture the world with an eye which solely she possessed; through the photograph is expressed the spirit of its taker - what better method was made for kindred connection than this for a child whose life was likewise dominated by a pervasive shyness? Apart from the retreat facilitated by her camera, it was only with Chloe Price that such was abated; thus was this aspect of the life of Max Caulfield too encouraged incessantly by those parents who sought to procure the blessed things of the world for their daughter; thus was she granted the foundations upon which to forge her future profound, if still few in number, friendships in Seattle. Free from an upbringing based upon religious tenets, so that in all attitudes of life she may discover for herself that which brings her fulfillment, Max was able to thrive with such ferocity that she eventually was accepted on full scholarship into the prestigious Blackwell Academy.
