Prologue
So this is what hopelessness feels like. Surrounded by the concrete buildings of the old high school she had previously attended, the gym she'd been attacked in, surrounded by blood and death on multiple occasions during cliché formals, and the memories of her long gone best friends echoing around her. Her only light source was the fire growing before her, spreading through the dry branches of a sparsely decorated tree. Though the heat from the fire was hot on her face and legs, she felt a coldness that ran deep to her core that no warmth could penetrate. Tilting her head back, her short dark tresses grazed her sharp chin, revealing dark empty eyes. She gazed at the twinkling stars and felt her face crumple in. Her hands fisted in the threadbare flannel around her waist as her jaw clenched tight. She fought to swallow around the rising lump in her throat and took in the burning pine one last time, taking slow deep breaths. She turned her back on the crackling tree, the high school gym, and the memories of a life that once was, and made her way toward the glistening Camaro waiting to take her away from it all. The chill from the asphalt seeped through the soles of her rugged boots and she pulled the worn leather jacket tighter around her as she slipped behind the wheel of the closest thing she had to a home now. She slipped in the key and let out a shaky breath as she realized she had nowhere to go. Her head bounced against the hard plastic of the wheel as she again felt tears run hot down her cheeks. What am I going to do now? Where were you all when I needed you?
She cried until the high flames of the mocking Christmas tree smoldered and the embers faded out, the ashes carried away on a faint breeze. The sun had begun to lighten the sky and as she took in the soft blues, subtle pinks and gold's, she felt a weight slowly lift off her shoulders as a decision was made. She had the whole world to herself, and she wasn't going to sit and wallow anymore. The world outside of this retro prison had failed her, again. It was time to start thinking about what she wanted. The young woman resolutely reached into the glove compartment beside her and pulled out a folded bunch. The wrinkled and faded map sent up a flurry of dust and she coughed slightly as she traced lines across the parchment until her finger stilled. "Perfect." She tapped the decided upon location once, nodded to herself and grinned. Exhaling softly, she set the map on the seat next to her, pulled on her seat belt and cranked the engine to life. She roared out onto the street and rolled down the window letting in the fresh air. The first strains of Salt-N-Pepa trickled out the speakers when she leaned over to turn up the volume. Taping her fingers along to the beat she steered herself over towards the boarding house. There were a few things Bonnie Bennett needed to pick up first, and then it was a one way ticket to the city that never sleeps, away from her past haunted by the happenings of Mystic Falls and hopefully, towards finding her peace.
