Chapter One: The Reverse
(Thanks so much for reading!)
Bonnie heaved the bronze bowl across the grimy stone floor. The metal screeched against the rocks, and Elena covered her ears to block out the noise.
"Sorry! Here," apologized the witch. She lifted the pot off the ground instead, and placed right in front of the doppelganger. Then she returned to her position on the other side of the cave.
"It's fine. Can we go over this again, before we start?" inquired Elena. Bonnie had repeated the instructions to her many times. Still, she only had one shot left to reclaim her humanity. She needed this to go perfectly, without any screw-ups. Otherwise she'd be stuck living forever, drinking bunny blood for the rest of her days.
The Bennett witch nodded. She wanted this just as much as Elena did.
"I'm going to begin the spell with a simple chant. This one's kind of big, so freaky stuff might start happening. You'll hear voices… angry dead witches… ignore them. Then the candles will get brighter. That's when you have to cut your arm, and put it in here." She tapped the bowl.
"And I can't take it out until you're done?" the vampire asked.
Bonnie shook her head.
"No. Not until you lose consciousness. By then, all your blood will be gone. When you wake up, you'll be human again. I promise," she clarified.
Elena grimaced and pulled a tiny Swiss Army knife out of her pocket. She placed the small weapon at her feet, eyeing it reproachfully.
"I trust you, Bonnie. This is going to work," she decided, speaking with flawless confidence she didn't actually possess. Bonnie had proven herself to be extremely powerful in the past, but she had never tried to create her own spell before. Elena couldn't help feeling a bit nervous.
"Yes. It is," the witch agreed, "and when I'm done, I swear I'll give up on dark magic for good. So… you ready?"
Elena Gilbert sat down, tucking her knees underneath her chin. She flashed Bonnie a tentative smile.
"All set."
"Okay. Here we go then," the Bennett witch murmured. She let her eyelids slide shut as she began to recite the long-dead language of the ancients. Usually, it sounded lovely and mysterious. Today the words seemed much more sinister. The air turned dead and cold, as the ghosts of Bonnie's family strained against the barrier between two worlds. They were muttering to themselves, then to Bonnie, then Elena. The latter wished she could pick apart the jumbled phrases and turn them into real sentences, but the shouts came from all around her, and the witches weren't making any sense.
"Bonnie," she whispered, "What are they saying?"
She received no answer; her friend wasn't listening.
"Elena! What are you doing? The candles!" shrieked Bonnie. She couldn't hear herself over the screaming of the spirits.
Elena, catching on quickly, ignored her pocketknife and let her fangs slip out through her front teeth. She sunk them deep into her wrist, and held her bloodstained arm out over the designated bowl.
"Did I make it? Bonnie, what…"
She trailed off. She couldn't think straight anymore. Things started tipping and turning fuzzy around the edges.
"Spell works… fast…"
First, all the noise faded away. Jumbled thoughts shattered as the last light went out. The world vanished behind a thick black wall. Elena felt trapped and alone. Then she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Eventually, the darkness took over, and she felt nothing.
The powder blue Camaro rolled smoothly towards the disgruntled blond. It slowed down significantly once it caught up to her. Now they were cruising side by side. She knew the owner of this antique vehicle all too well, and she grumpily yanked her phone out of her purse so she didn't have to make eye contact with him until later.
"Oh, Caroline?" he sang, without turning to look at her.
Though this was typical Damon Salvatore behavior, and she had lived with the asshole for years now, his lilting sarcastic behavior never failed in making her want to kick something.
"Caroline," he repeated, enjoying himself immensely.
Caroline Forbes whirled around to face the condescending vampire. He parked his car, and she glared at him sharply.
"Can I help you?" she inquired, using her old 'pissed off cheerleader' charm to counter his sardonic grin.
"Judging by the fact that you've been refusing to talk to me all day, I think you can," smirked Damon. He leaned across the shotgun seat, getting uncomfortably close to the sheriff's daughter. She kept her face blank, while mentally pleading with him to leave her alone. She was running out of excuses for avoiding him. It wouldn't be long before she blurted out Elena and Bonnie's exact location, as well as what they were up to.
"What are you talking about? I'm not talking to you because we're not friends. And I'm not really in the mood for you and your narcissistic egotism," Caroline snapped. She dropped her cell phone back in her bag, and began to stomp back up the way she came, leaving the obnoxious Salvatore brother behind.
"Ooh. Looks like someone's been studying her SAT words," he chuckled.
Caroline continued to ignore him. Granted, he was correct, but she wouldn't tell him that unless hell froze over. Then he called out,
"Seriously though, Blondie. Tell me where she is."
The perky vampire stopped abruptly, knowing she'd have to lie again. Determined to finally get Damon off her case, she marched straight up to him and crossed her arms. She leaned over him intimidatingly. He winked at her, unfazed.
"Tell you where who is?" she demanded, adding a touch of venom to her harsh tone.
"Don't give me that 'innocent bystander' crap. You know I'm talking about Elena. She's doing something bad, isn't she? Otherwise you wouldn't be lying about it," the blue-eyed serial killer pointed out.
Caroline let loose a short, aggravated sigh, breathing out the last of her very limited patience.
"Unlike you, I don't think it's necessary keep tabs on Elena twenty four seven. I honestly don't know where she is, orwhat she's doing. So please, please, please leave me alone!" she cried, sounding slightly hysterical.
Though he found her tantrum amusing, Damon knew a lost cause when he saw one. He shrugged, and turned away from Caroline Forbes.
"Fine. You win. I'll just look for her without your help," he stated.
His cranky companion relaxed a little.
"Have fun with that. I'm going home," she proclaimed.
"To write pointless college essays? You're a vampire, remember? Don't kid yourself into thinking you can have a real life. Because you can't," Damon told her bluntly.
Caroline's shoulders drooped, but she kept her head held high and steady. She had grown used to the world trying to stomp all over her.
"I know. But I don't have to be bitter about it, like you. Goodbye, Damon," she retorted. The minute she took a step away from the car, she started shaking. She darted back to the Camaro and gripped the side mirror for support. It vibrated along with her.
"What's going on?" she gasped, terrified.
Caroline suddenly lost her grip. Her legs flew out from under her, and she toppled to the ground. Her skull hit the cracked sidewalk, just as the mini-earthquake subsided.
Damon launched himself out of the car and knelt beside her. He looped one arm under her knees, using the other to support her neck. Then he lifted her into shotgun and buckled the seatbelt. Her phone buzzed from inside her handbag. Her rescuer took it out and read a text from Bonnie Bennett:
S.O.S! Elena's not waking up
He checked to make sure Caroline was still unconscious. Then he replied:
R u where I left u?
Bonnie took the bait. She responded half a second later.
Yeah, still witch burial ground. Come quick
Damon smiled triumphantly.
"Gotcha, witchy."
He hit the gas, planning how he'd phrase his big 'I-told-you-so.' Even after all these years, he still wasn't tired of being right. Somehow, he felt like he never would be.
"Elena! Elena, come on. Wake up, please!" Bonnie wailed. She shook her friend's arm, gently at first. Eventually, she grew frantic. She shoved her harder. The sound of footsteps brought her back to her senses. She watched the cave's entrance expectantly.
"Caroline, I-"
The witch cut off mid-sentence as Damon entered the room. He walked swiftly, the way a surgeon would approach a patient. He crouched next to Elena, listening.
"Where's Caroline? What did you-?" hissed Bonnie.
"Shh. Later," the older Salvatore murmured. He held completely still, and waited. Two more seconds passed, then three, four, five, six…
"There. So you're not dead," he crooned, relieved.
"She's okay? How can you tell?" the Bennett witch breathed.
Damon glanced up at her, furious.
"Her heartbeat. You made her human," he accused, in a chilling monotone.
Bonnie stuck out her chin defiantly. She wouldn't let him scold her for saving someone she loved.
"I invented my own spell, and it worked. You should be thanking me," she informed him plainly.
He narrowed his sea glass eyes and stood up quickly.
"For what? Almost killing her?"
The witch also rose to her feet. She straightened her torso to make herself seem taller. She knew how to threaten people properly.
"No. For giving Elena her life back," she argued, through clenched teeth. She kept her voice low and hostile.
A soft moan reminded Damon and Bonnie that they weren't here to fight. Instantly, the vampire rushed over to Elena and removed his leather jacket. He scrunched it up, sliding it under her head like a pillow.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" he wondered, touching her cheek gently.
"I feel…" she trailed off, inhaling deeply. "I can't… I can't smell blood anymore. Where's Bonnie?"
Her best friend practically shoved Damon out of the way. She took Elena's hand, beaming.
"I'm here," she laughed, "I'm here."
"Oh my god. That means… am I…?" the doppelganger stammered. She carefully positioned two fingers on the inside of her wrist. Blood pumped thickly through her veins. Her mouth fell open.
"That's my pulse. I have a pulse!" she squealed. She threw herself at Bonnie, and crushed her with a huge hug.
The witch knew she'd pay for this later. Her ancestors had made that very clear. They could name a price, for all she cared. Elena looked happier than she had in four years. Nothing else mattered anymore.