Chapter 2

Intertwining Lifelines

What do you say to taking chances

What do you say to jumping off the edge?

-Taking Chances, Celine Dion

I woke up because someone was shaking me, hard. Plus there were voices. The loudest being of the person shaking me. The last voice I wanted to hear. The voice of Damon Salvatore. Why of all people did he have to be the one to find me?

"Come on, wake up!" I tried to swat him away but found I couldn't raise my arms.

"Do you think she's a run away?"

"There haven't been any signs up or anything about one like this. And look, she's hasn't got a mark on her. No dirt and certainly no scars."

"But what is she wearing; those look like the pants farmers wear?"

"Come on wake up." I finally managed to wake up and move my mouth.

"Leave me alone Damon, I can get up." Damon immediately jumped back, as if he had been burned. I sat halfway up, opening my eyes slowly.

"How does she know you brother, do not tell me you…"

"No, no I've never seen her before in my life!"

"Of course you have!" I then realize that Damon may not have met me yet. But if Elena was here than Stefan must have, we met almost at the same time.

"Well, at least you have Stefan." I turned my eyes to Stefan who looked terrified now that all the attention was on him.

"Why Stefan, she says your name so boldly. You must be quite familiar with her." What was Elena talking about?

"Elena what are you guys on? Of course you know me we've known each other since-." It was when I asked when they were on when they all looked down at the ground. I finally took in what they were wearing. It looked like what they had worn to founder's day. Except Elena wasn't wearing her vervain necklace.

"We are standing on the ground. Who is this Elena?" Neither Stefan or Damon were wearing their rings. The sun was shining brightly. They were dressed for a founder's day party. They knew no Elena. They didn't know me. May become displaced for a few days. More like a century.

"Oh Shit."

"Pardon me?" I was shaking my head ignoring them. This was not possible.

"No, no no. God no. How am I going to get back?"

"We could easily bring you back to wherever you have run from if that is what you are implying. Are you from the Lockwood estate?" What? Why would I want to go to Tyler's family estate. You are in 1864. The Civil War is going on. There are slaves! Shit! I shook my head, there was only one way out of this place.

"I'm sorry, I must have disturbed you by knowing your names. You are Miss Katherine Peirce, correct?" I bowed my head, looking up slightly to see if she nodded. She did. How did slaves act?

"Would you mind letting me see Emily Bennett, I have some important things she needs." I was hoping that Katherine had not made the rings for Damon and Stefan already. This way she would think that I had the Lapiz Luzuli. Her eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly.

"Why of course you may. We were just heading back to the house now. I will make sure that you get to see Emily. Follow us." Stefan and Damon mounted two horses and I stood there staring disbelievingly at them while Stefan helped Katherine on to the back of his own horse. They expected me to follow them on foot.

"Here, take my hand. You can ride with me." I looked up to see Damon Salvatore, asshole extraordinaire, holding out his hand for me.

"Damon, do you really think that is wise, she is a-"

"Oh Stefan, it is fine. Besides, do you really expect her to run behind us the whole way back home?" I gratefully clasped his hand and pulled myself on to the horse. I was surprised when he made room for me in front of him rather than behind him but I positioned myself on the saddle regardless. I had taken riding lessons up until eighth grade but I had never ridden on a horse with another person on it at the same time. The fact that the other person was Damon made me even more nervous. Surprisingly though he didn't push me off the horse or make rude comments about my looks. In fact he didn't speak, no one did. I was scared we would crash; Damon was paying more attention to Katherine than the trees around us while Stefan was alternating between shooting me glares and staring at Katherine lovingly.

"How about a little race, brother?" I cannot believe Damon suggested a race! There were two people on each horse! I was going to fall off. We were going to lose, I know it. Not only am I heavier than Katherine by a long shot (she is so thin!) and I have a giant rock in my bag. Seriously, the thing felt like it weighed thirty pounds.

"Game on, brother." With that Stefan kicked the horse, hard mind you, and took off with Katherine laughing her head off behind him. Damon, of course, took off after them, leaving me to do only one thing. Hang on to saddle for dear life. Eventually I got used to it, settled back into my former love for the animal and remembered the right posture and such. It felt good to feel the wind in my hair again. Stefan was still a bit ahead of us and I felt the thrill of the race get to me.

"Hand me the reins and slide your feet out of the stirrups." I felt Damon stiffen slightly, shocked at my words. For a moment I thought he would refuse, I know Stefan would have, but he nodded and I took the reins and, with a lot of reaching, managed to get my feet into the stirrups. We immediately began catching up, Damon looked a bit confused, he couldn't figure out the change. I knew it was because he had been digging his heels into the poor horse's sides so hard the horse had been slowing down. I was much more of a kind encouraging rider. I can't imagine what kind of pain this horse must go through from Damon. If he's that violent to people I can't imagine what he does to animals.

"Make it look like you have the reins. You want to impress Katherine." His hands were immediately on the reins and I slipped my feet out of the stirrups, I didn't need them anyway. We passed Stefan and Katherine easily. I had to hold back my laugh at Stefan's face but Damon didn't bother. His laugh as a human is nice, care free. We finally made it to the gates and I handed the reins back to Damon fully, ready to climb off the horse. I figured I should try to keep up some appearances of the time. To my surprise Damon hopped off first and then preceded to help me off. We had already led the horse halfway towards the stables when Stefan and Katherine finally galloped into the driveway. Damon laughed again and then spoke to me in a low voice.

"I do not know how you did it, Miss, but thank you. Stefan has been beating me at every race since father bought him that new horse." I just nodded and smiled. Stefan had beaten Damon at everything. That must have sucked. Well, it must still suck. Though I guess I'm not that different. It's not like I could beat Elena at anything.

"It was the horse that did all the work really," I patted the horse's neck as I said this. "What is her name?"

"Her name is American beauty, but I call her Amber for short." I nodded and stroked Amber's neck. It was a good name for her.

"Speaking of names, do you have one?" We had put Amber in her stall and were walking towards the house as I thought about his question. He had asked me if I had a name, not what my name is. They still suspect me to be a runaway.

"Have you ever met a slave who knew how to ride a horse so well?" He shook his head and seemed to be thinking hard.

"You are right, I have not. But you still have not answered my question."

'Yes. I do have a name." He looked a bit frustrated but was not able to question me again before Katherine and Stefan reached us.

"I am shocked that you won brother. My horse surpasses your by far usually."

"Though the horse does the running the rider must be equally skilled to win the race." I was kind of shocked that I spoke up and by the look on the others' faces so were they. Had I just insulted Stefan?

"I would watch how you-!" Thank goodness his angry exclamation was interrupted by Katherine. I was afraid he was going to get out a whip.

"Those are wise words. Come with me. I wish to speak with you and Emily alone." I nodded and followed the vampire into the house, wondering if I should feel safe with Katherine or if I should be running for my life.

"So what else does Emily need, she has already made the rings I needed." So she already had both of their rings. Here I thought I might get away with that lie.

"I do not have a specific item. More like a warning for one of the Bennett line." Yeah, that one witch being myself.

"Is it a threat? Because I warn you, the Bennett line is well protected at the moment." I shook my head.

"It is no threat. I know what kind of people protect the line and I know they will for at least another century and a half." First Katherine would protect us then Damon. Vampires were bodyguards for us Bennett witches. Just then Emily came through a door way to meet us in Katherine's private corridors. She halfway bowed to Katherine before turning he gaze on me.

"Bonnie Bennett, what is wrong with you! I cannot believe you performed the spell, let alone came all the way back here! You are very lucky your Grandmother is so cautious or else you would get killed by tomorrow-!"

"Was. She was cautious." Emily's face softened as she pulled me into a hug. It was strange, this woman was my great- great- great- great- great- great-great- great grandmother but she didn't look even five years older than me.

"I apologize Bonnie, I don't know the exact time you have come from." I nodded and leaned into her arms. She reminded me of what my Grams must have been like when she was younger.

"What did you mean I am lucky my Grams is so cautious? What did she do?" Emily held me at arms length, studying me for a moment before answering.

"She had a spell that activates a chest in her home if you, or any other later Bennett witch performs the time spell. There was a box for each ten years, depending on the time frame, and a letter to the Bennett witch alive at the time. I received it a few minutes ago, presumably at the same time you showed up here. She has everything you might need in there. There are even some clothes from this time in there." She seemed to just notice the type of clothes I was wearing.

"Come on, let's get you changed." She ushered me into her small quarters, not sparing another glance at Katherine who followed us inside. Sitting on the small bed was an open wooden chest just as Emily had said. Sitting on top of the clothes was a small stack of papers. Looking at them I realized they were a birth certificate for someone with the last name Abella. The given name seemed to be blank and I realized that I was meant to fill in my name there. I eyed the certificate realizing it was one of two. This one seemed to be a translation of the other, which was written in Spanish. I was from Spain. Why would my grandmother do that? Thinking hard I realized that Eva Longoria had almost the same color skin tone as I do. My grandmother did not wish for me to be persecuted as an African American because of the time period. I wish I could thank her.

"Come now, Bonnie," Emily eyed the birth certificate, "Abella, we should get you into proper dress." As she was lacing up the corset so tight they I couldn't breathe she turned to her master (or is it Mistress?).

"Miss Katherine, do any of the Salvatores speak Spanish?" Katherine shook her head no.

"No, but they would not think her very well bred if she cannot speak at least one other language. They would prefer Italian but others may work too."

"Can you speak anything else, Bonnie?" I nodded.

"I've been taking French since second grade. I can speak it fluently. I know a few words of Spanish and Italian and I can hold a conversation in Mandarin okay."

"Mandarin? What is Mandarin?"

"Chinese. I took a few classes in it, I hope it would look good to the College I want to go to."

"You want to attend a University!" Katherine looked positively appalled. I forgot I was in 1864 for a minute there. Emily however ignored her.

"That will fascinate them. Jonathan Gilbert is infatuated with Miss Pearl and I am sure if you come off as friends with both her and Miss Katherine you will be accepted with open arms here." Katherine nodded absentmindedly. She still seemed to be caught up in the college thing. Emily finished buttoning up the back of my dress and smoothed my skirt.

"You must go now, the brothers will no doubt be wondering about all of this. I do not know how it can be explained-."

"I will introduce her as my childhood friend. I did not recognize her because of how much she has grown. The brothers will think I was not sure of her true identity in the woods and everyone else will think she is an actual childhood friend."

"And how will you explain why I called you Elena?" She thought for a moment before breaking out into a smile. It was disturbing how much she looked like my best friend.

"You will tell them it means something in Chinese." She then hooked arms with me and led us to where Damon and Stefan stood waiting.