A change back to first person narratives. I changed the format the past two chapters because first person narratives are not ideal for juggling numerous characters.
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"I'm like a fever you can't shake."
"More like a pain in the ass you can't get rid of no matter what you do." I say.
"I have magic hands Bonnie. Just let me know the next time you have a pain in the ass. I'd be sure to ease your pain."
"I don't even know why I keep letting you suck me in." I say. Just a little on the exasperated side.
Damon just winks at me. A voice comes over the PA announcing that we are about to land. I feel the butterflies return. For some time I had grown used to being on a plane. I had been so engrossed in Damon that being on a plan didn't feel different from the outside.
I reach for the armrests but Damon offers me his hand instead. I hesitate slightly before I put my hand in his. Damon leans back into his seat and closes his eyes. I try and fail to be as calm as he is despite the reassuring contact. I decide to talk instead.
"You don't have to hold my hand you know.
"I know. I'm doing it because I like it." Damon says with his eyes still closed.
I really don't know what to do when he says things like that.
Act Natural. Remember?
My ever-present inner voice is at it again. She is right though. Damon did tell me not to overthink it and act naturally.
"I like it too." I admit. I am not sure Damon heard me but the way he tightens his hold on my hand convinces me he did.
Wow. Did you just admit that?
The descent is mercifully shot and without incident. I'm glad I didn't have to act as Damon's shield. Damon insists on holding my hand even after we've alighted. I feel like I should detangle my hand from his but I really don't want to. And for the rest of this trip I'm only doing what I want. I can go back to worrying when we go back home. Damon and I walk off the plane towards the exit without questions from custom officials or security. I get the feeling Damon has something to do with that.
"Did you compel everyone?"
"Not everyone because there was this one werewolf on the plan. She and I came to an agreement to stay away from each other. So just a few. Makes traveling easier." He answers.
"Tell me you at least bought tickets."
"Of course I did. I'm not a fan of cheating people out of their due income. I just compelled them not to remember you. They'll forget they over saw you as soon as they go to bed."
I guess I can live with that.
I look up at the display announcing arrivals and departures and notice its a few minutes past 3. The are just a few people about. Unlike back in the states when the airports are active all time of the day. I hold on to that distinction until we get outside.
There are people loitering about outside. A few people with bags and suitcases are surrounded by people I can only assume are friends and family. Some are camped on the grass having impromptu picnics. No one seems to be alone. No one it seems but the few non-Africans hailing taxis.
"Where are we exactly, Damon." I ask. Feeling a little stupid I up and left to another country without even asking where we were going.
You were too busy staring into his baby blues to think about anything else.
"Ghana. Friends of mine have made it their home. They live a few minutes drive from here. Hopefully the place hasn't changed too much from the last time I was here." Damon says.
"You've been here before?"
"I visit from time to time."
A black taxi with yellow painted sections over each tire pulls up in front of us as we descend the steps. Damon opens the door for me to get seated before he leans down to talk to the driver. I can't hear what is being said due to the radio.
Damon joins me in the back seat and the car pulls away from the airport. I want to see everything I can but it's too dark for me to make out anything significant. There are just rows and rows of what look to be office buildings. We come to an abrupt stop about five minutes outside the airport. The cabbie parks and gets out of the the car.
"What's wrong?" I ask Damon.
"Nothing. I compelled him to let me drive once we were out of the airport. I don't really have an address. The weren't any roads the last time I was here." Damon says.
Moving to take the drivers's seat with the cabbie taking his place beside us.
"Are you sure you can get us there?"
"Yep."
"Why not just call them?" I ask
"They aren't the most social people. Besides, I can get us there. Just relax and nod your head along to the song. We'll be there in no time."
That isn't really reassuring but I have no choice but to sit back and hope Damon knows where we are going. I find myself nodding along to songs I've never heard before as Damon drives. The office buildings get fewer the further away from the airport we drive. I hear the sound of waves in the distance.
We are now on a road with similarly designed and painted homes. I realize we are in some sort of residential area. It's not long after that that Damon pulls up on some side street. The driver gets out of the car like he is on a programmed alarm. I also get out when I see Damon do so.
"We'll go on foot from here." Damon says to me.
"Here take these. Forget you ever saw us. Some suckers left this cash in your cab. Go home and take the week off to have a good time and invest the rest of the money in something profitable." Damon says to the cabbie.
I watch him drive off before I fall into step beside Damon who takes a right turn and starts walking up the drive to the house at the end of it. Damon is about to knock when we hear a voice from inside say: "Come in Damon."
I look at Damon, expecting him to be as freaked out as I am but he just opens the door and gestures for me to walk ahead of him.
I find a woman sitting in a relatively spacious living room sipping on something that might be tea.
Probably bourbon if she is a friend of Damon's.
"Hi Bonnie. It is always nice to meet a Bennet witch. Come closer don't be shy."
The woman says. Her smile is the first thing I notice. She has the kind of face that will, with just a look, make you want to spill your secrets. She looks about 35 with auburn hair. There are horizontal flecks of gray in her hair. I can't tell if its for style or a sign of old age.
"Still as creepy as I remember I see. Bonnie meet Mrs. Flowers. Don't let the face fool you. She can be a real pain in…"
"Thank you for that stellar introduction, Damon. I know you have questions and so do I but it would be in poor taste to ask them now. I'd like to catch a few hours sleep before the kids wake up. I trust you remember the way to your room, Damon. I'll see you two in the morning. Its nice meeting you Bonnie." Mrs. Flowers smiles to me before making her way down the hallway to her left.
"Told you they weren't the most social of people. Come on let's go." Damon leads me into a specious room. It's clearly a guest room. Its clean but therein lies the problem. Its too clean. Making it obvious its not used often.
"Make yourself at home. I'll make myself a nest on the floor. You can take the bed. Don't even think of arguing." Damon says.
"I'm too tired to argue." I say. I take of my shoes and just slump into the bed. Exhausted. The bed is comfortable but unfamiliar. I can't think about home now. It would just make me sad. I can't help it. I wonder what Matt and the rest of the gang are doing now. Probably sleeping in. It should be an hour to midnight now.
"I hope the guys are okay." I say. Damon is laying on his back with his eyes open. Looking up to the ceiling.
"I hope so too. Did I tell you Elena asked me to compel Jeremy to go stay with friends in Denver?" Damon says.
I don't know how to feel about that. Obviously, I'm no longer in love with Jeremy but I still care about him. He never said anything about leaving all the time we were together.
He obviously doesn't want to leave. He is being compelled to.
"I can't believe Elena would ask that. Why didn't you do as she asked?" I ask Damon.
"I thought you'd like to have a say in it. You were his cougar after all. Also, I didn't want to hear another sermon from you on the importance of free will. To be clear, I am willing to compel him if you would't mind.." He says.
"Of course I do. I do agree he should leave Mystic Falls but having to force him to do so is wrong."
"Its kinda weird that I could predict exactly what you were going to say. I'm not overly concerned about the kid. I don't particularly care if he stays or not. I have better things to think about."
"No need to rehash old news, Damon. I know the only thing you care about is getting into Elena's pants."
Yeesh. A little overboard don't you think?
I open my mouth to apologize but Damon cuts me off before I can get a word out.
"Good night, Bonnie." He says. Turning on his side with his back to me.
A clear indication that the conversation is over. I know I should feel guilty, and I do, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Which is strange in itself because I know Damon really doesn't care for anyone but Elena, so I don't know where the disappointment is stemming from.
You are disappointed because you were starting to believe he cared about you too.
Yes I was. I believed he did care about me. So much for seeing different sides to him.
This isn't really about you, you know. This is about Jeremy. Damon refused Elena, the only person he supposedly cares about and he didn't have to tell you or leave the matter up to you but he did. Kinda shows he cares about you and your opinion.
Why did you have to make so much sense? Fine. I guess he does care about me. I'll try to apologize tomorrow. Happy?
Immensely. Our life would be great If you just listened to me more often.
I smile to myself and close my eyes. I'm spent. The last 48 hours or so have finally caught up with me. I take a deep breath and try to drift off into dreamland.
I don't know what I was expecting but seeing the witch who tried to kidnap me at the Grill wasn't what I was expecting. I see her standing with her head bowed in front of a man. Her posture both guilty and offensive. The man is a giant. Taller than even Damon.
He has an air of danger and authority about him, European looks, and a tan coloring which makes it seem like he spends his days stretched out at a tanning salon or on a beach.. The kind of skin tone most models and women would kill for.
"What happened?" I hear the man ask.
His tone makes the question sound innocent enough but the witch flinches despite it. The man seems innocuous to me. Like a tv personality. I don't see why a witch should be scared of him.
"Owen, Frey and I went into town to find out if the Bennet witch was still alive, like you asked. Sheila was dead but we found her grand-daughter. We were watching to see if she was in on the supernatural, which she is, and decided to bring her to you when the opportunity…"
The witch doesn't get to finish as she is forcibly grabbed by the throat and lifted off her feet. I didn't even see the guy move. One minute he was a distance away. The next, he was chocking Maleficent. The witch was groaning and pulling at his arms but he wouldn't ease up.
"Did I instruct the three of you to engage in anyway?" The man asks the still chocking witch in an almost bored voice. The witch about manages to shake her head in answer.
"Why then did you decide to go contrary to my instructions?" He asks.
Looking straight into her eyes. The witch has stopped struggling now. The only sign she is still alive are the hands she still keeps on the tall guy's arm. The guy gives her tighter squeeze before letting her go. The witch falls to the floor in a heap but manages to sit up a some minutes later. She holds on to her throat as she tries to get some air into her lungs.
"The only reason I am letting you live is because we are family, Aisha. And family forgives. Consider this mercy." The guy says. "Iris, my messenger. Frey and Owen are gone. You know what to do."
I can't tell who he is speaking to at first but a red headed woman walks out of a blind spot into view. I can't tell how long she has been there.
My first guess is vampire. Only vampires walk so lightly on their feet. The woman nods before she walks out the door, her fiery hair disappearing from sight. I am at a loss as to what to do now. The witch, Aisha, is finally able to get to her feet. The are reddish black finger marks around her throat. Marring her otherwise flawless brown skin.
Its hard to believe a relative of hers would do that to her. She looks so venerable here that its hard to remember her as evil. I gasp when her attacker turns to look in my direction. He seems not to have heard me but he starts walking in my direction anyway.
I feel a tug on my arm. The tug only gets more insistent as the attacker gets closer and closer. Like blinking and clearing one's vision, I find myself looking into a concerned face. Damon's face.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"You tell me. You were sweating, tossing and turning in bed." Damon says.
"I know you said you would put me in a coma if I ever asked again but are you okay?"
"I'm fine." I say.
"Fine like when a woman says so or are you really fine?"
I roll my eyes before I answer. "Really really fine, Damon. Now let me up so I can go brush. Oh yeah that's right. You didn't give me time to pack anything."
"Someone is in a sour mood. Remind me never to sleep on this side of the bed. It seems wrong." Damon says.
So cheesy.
"I went out and got us some provisions while you were having your wet dreams." Damon says while moving away from the bed. "Tell me Bon. Was I any good?"
I bow my head to hide the blush trying to make its way across my lips. I wouldn't hear the end of it if I show that his inappropriateness is growing on me. I notice after composing myself that it's really bright outside.
"What time is it anyway?" I ask Damon
"Some minutes past two."
"What? You let me sleep for half a day? Mrs. Flowers must think I'm a brat." I say. Covering my face with my hands.
"A. You were jet lagged. You needed the rest. B. Mrs. Flowers won't think you're a brat because despite her demeanor yesterday, she is pretty cool. She only gets like that when Sage is out feeding. C. I already helped her out with the chores." Damon finishes.
I peel my hands away from my face to stare at him. "You. Doing chores? I can't picture that."
"Not my fault you have a poor imagination. Up. Go take a shower. You stink." Damon says.
Throwing me a towel and a tooth brush. I grab both items and head to the small accompanying bathroom.
I come out of the bathroom later to find clothes laying on the bed. Apparently for me. Damon is nowhere to be seen. I pick up the lace bra and panties and decide to never let Damon shop for me. They look and feel expensive.
Who does he think is going to see me in this?
Errmmm…Hopefully himself.
In his dreams. At least he went for a modest look with the clothes.
The clothes are what you could call plain. Plain jeans. Nothing at all special about them except for the fact that they fit. Its a little flattering that Damon knows my size. I finish dressing and walk out the door, hoping to find Damon outside but I don't.
I walk down the hallway and hear chatter from what turns out be the kitchen. I find Mrs. Flowers laughing at something Damon must have said and Damon himself wearing a goofy smile on his face. He seems so at ease here. Damon seems to sense my presence because he turns his head to look in my direction.
"Looking good, Bonnie. You no longer stink. That's always a plus."
I am momentarily embarrassed before I see from Mrs. Flowers expression that she is quite used to Damon's manners or lack thereof. I give Damon a saccharine sweet smile.
"You clean up nice too but this isn't my favorite look." I say before giving Damon a single aneurysm rather than the repetitive ones I usually give him. He winces a little.
"Ah. There it is. I always prefer you with that look on your face."
Damon just gives me a smile that passes for affectionate but Mrs. Flowers actually laughs out loud. Her laugh is so contagious I can't help but smile along. Damon doesn't seem to mind her laughing at his expense.
"You were right, Damon. She really is a little firecracker." Mrs. Flowers says when her laughter ebbs into small chuckles.
"Am I ever wrong?" Damon says.
"Don't pay any attention to Damon Bonnie. Come over and let me give you a proper hello." Mrs. Flowers says before wrapping me in a tight hug.
"I'm sorry about Shelia. She was a good friend of mine."
I hold on a little tighter now. I miss my Grams and its nice to meet someone who considerd her a friend. I am still wrapped in her arms when I hear voices coming in our direction.
I pull back and see three children come to a stop in front of Mrs. Flowers and I. They give me a quizzical look before the oldest, a girl, sees Damon.
"Uncle D."
She squeals before throwing herself at Damon, putting her arms behind his neck and burying her face in his chest. Damon manages to catch her before she went splat on his body. Thank God for vampire reflexes.
Uncle D?
Damon goes on his hunches to stop the her brothers from launching themselves at him too. They also shout Uncle D before joining their sister in hugging Damon.
The group hug is touching. The scene pulls at my heart strings. A vision of a man hugging our children in a similar house like this one suddenly springs up in my mind. The man looks suspiciously.
You might wanna pump the breaks on your day dream.
I look away from the sight to clear my head and come face to face with a Mrs. Flowers who is looking intently at me. Like she was all too aware of the image I just had.
Can witches read minds?
No, we're a witch too but we can't read minds. Not yet anyway.
Still playing the Devil's Advocate, I see.
"Sorry, Theo. I know you said no running indoors but they couldn't wait to get home when I told them Damon was back."
Mrs. Flowers turns in the direction of the new voice. And so do I. The man standing at the entrance is stunningly good looking. The best way to describe him is to say that he is simply angelic.
This guy answers the question: "What does an angel look like?"
His attraction doesn't end there either. He is angelic in appearance and devilish in aura. Like all the bad boys who have ever lived combined into the body of an archangel. My open admiration ends when Damon remarks:
"Still got it, Sage. Bonnie over there is all but drooling."
I give Damon my most hateful glare, to which he only smirks at. He lets go of the kids and does this weird handshake with each of them. Its clear the handshake is something they've perfected and practiced to do whenever they see each other.
The kids are all less than 15, as far I can tell. Damon must have had to see them very often for them to be this close. Sage and Damon then share a hug. The kind guys like to call a bro hug.
"I see why Mrs. Flowers was in her rare grumpy moods last night. You've got to stop your gluttony or the locals are going to start getting suspicious." Damon says.
"I'm a vampire, Damon. We don't get fat. Theo seems to forget how old I am sometimes. Always fretting whenever I go out to have a drink despite knowing full well that there are a only a handful of people who can do me any harm." Says Sage.
"Well excuse me for caring, Sage. Its not like the Originals are going to give us a heads up if they ever return. Besides, you know its not them I'm worried about." Mrs. Flowers chastises Sage.
"Awww. You two are so cute. Tell me you finally asked her to marry you, Sage." Damon says. Placing a hand on each one's shoulder.
"Finally. Someone else with as much sense as moi. I've been telling them so for years. To be honest, I think Mum is going to take the initiative and propose to Dad." The eldest girl says.
"Ha ha ha Thalia. Don't encourage her Damon." Mrs. Flowers says, swiping Damon's hand off her shoulder.
I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable watching them interact with each other. Its like I'm intruding in on them. Damon must have sensed my unease because he comes over and introduces me.
"Guys this is Bonnie Bennett. Bonnie meet the most non-family family ever. You've already met the adorable Mrs. Flowers. The beautiful devil-spawn is Sage. Try not to drool too much. Saving the best for last, Thalia. Her brothers Saul and Thiago."
"Is she your girlfriend, Uncle D?" The littlest one, Thiago queries.
"I don't know Thiago." Damon replies. He then turns to look at me and ask. "Are you?"
Later when I look back on the day's events, I can't really explain why I hesitate before opting for the truth. Its probably because of the look in Damon's eyes when he asked me the question.
"Your Uncle has a slim chance but for now, no. I am not his girlfriend." I bend down with my palms on my knees, to say to Thiago. I can tell the adults were as interested in my answer after I straighten up.
"That brings us to why we are here."Damon says.
"I brought you guys gifts. I learned my lesson from the last time I saw you. Always come with a present. They are in my room. Try not to make too much of a mess." He says to the kids.
The boys run off at speed but Thalia waits to say:
"Nice move Uncle D. I know you only want to get rid of us but It is to my benefit so I'll leave. You aren't as sleek as you think."
She flips her head like a weapon before running after her brothers.
"That girl hasn't changed one bit from the last time I saw her." Damon says.
"The last time you saw her was over a decade ago, Damon." Sage explains.
Wait. What?!
"Too much information, guys. Poor Bonnie is about to lose her mind. Come on, lunch is ready. We will explain everything but first, you must eat something." Mrs. Flowers comes to my aid.
I must have misheard Sage. Damon couldn't possibly have seen Thalia 10 years ago. I guess he could have seen her when she was a toddler but he wouldn't have had the time to be as close as he is to her now. And that's without considering his closeness to Thiago and Saul.
I am still trying to make sense of it all by the make way to the living room for lunch. Damon opts for a glass of something I suspect is bourbon since he seems to have fed when he went shopping this morning.
The rest of us living opt for real food. Waakye its called. Kinda like rice and beans but with accompaniments. Gari, a flake like thing, friend plantain, salad dressing and pasta. It is always fun trying out new things.
"Aren't the kids going to join us?" I ask
"They've had lunch already." Sage answers.
"The thing you should know, Bonnie is that they aren't regular children. Even for our supernatural world. There isn't a better way to say it so I'm just going to say it. They are vampires." Mrs. Flowers says.
Vampire kids. That's disturbing.
"What kind of people turn kids into vampires?" I ask bewilderedly.
"Their parents, for one." Damon says. "I found Thalia strapped to a chair, unconscious, when I went to settle an old score with the Augustine Society. Her parents had left her to be experimented on after she lost control and their eldest child died. Thalia, like all new vampires, didn't know when to stop. You can imagine what happened afterwards."
I can't even imagine what Thalia's parents must have gone through. What Thalia herself must still go through knowing that she her sibling was died because she couldn't stop herself.
"That doesn't explain why they turned her in the first place." I say.
"You must understand, Bonnie. Thalia had been a sick kid. Suffering from a coronary heart disease. The doctors gave her 7 years to live. Her parents were desperate and were told vampire blood would cure her. So they poured some of it into her drink before poisoning her refill." Mrs. Flowers explains.
"That's horrible." I say "How long has she been a child?"
"Let's just say I've been Uncle D for 60 years, minimum. I should have staked her when I found her but I just didn't have the heart. So I brought her to Mrs. Flowers here. She was running a Bed and Breakfast back then. The others we just sort of pumped into. A religious person might say we were led to."
"Sage found Thiago in Brazil. The voodoo priestess apparently needed a test subject who wouldn't die on her. Saul, I found back home in the States. A doctor was using vampire blood to cure her patients but Saul died before the blood could heal him." Mrs. Flowers tries to explain.
My appetite has deserted me. I always knew there was a lot of evil people in the world but hearing of people who would harm children, even torture them was new territory. The bad guys like Klaus and Katherine who came to Mystic falls, committed evil deeds sure, but the was always a reason behind it. Katherine for instance just wanted to survive and Klaus wanted to finally be whole. They weren't pure black and white evil. An unpleasant thought comes to mind.
"How many children have you guys had?" I ask.
Sage gives me a sad smile before replying.
"Some of them choose to die after a few decades. Especially those who were a little depressed before they were turned. Vampirism heightens everything. Even depression. Being a grown up stuck in a child's body is not something for everyone. I usually recreate their favorite memory before doing the deed. It's a quick painless death."
It dawns on me that Damon must have gone through the same thing when he was forced to stake Rose. The first vampire we ever saw die of a werewolf bite. Killing someone you love must be hard even if its a mercy killing.
"Life sucks. On to why we are here. I need answers Mrs. Flowers. A couple of vampires, working with a witch tried to kidnap Bonnie. They claimed it was in retaliation for something Shelia did in Fell's Church." Damon says.
I wouldn't have caught Mrs. Flowers reaction to the information had I not been looking for just that. A reaction. Damon seems to have caught on it as well.
"So you do now what we're up against. Fantastic. As you could imagine, the mention of that shitstorm and Shelia got my alarm bells ringing. Considering you and Shelia were friends. That fact alone is disputable but add Fell's Church, the town you and I met, and one might get suspicous." Damon continues.
"Describe them." Mrs. Flowers says in reply.
"One of them spoke in a funny way. Like he hadn't been around for a while. He called me 'homeboy'. They also mentioned someone named Carl. Said he was the Alpha or something."
"The One?" Mrs. Flowers prompts.
"Yeah, that's it. I also had a vision last night." I try to ignore Damon's accusatory look as a continue.
"I saw a man. Tall, with a European look to him. He sounded like Damon does sometimes when he is angry. Italian. Although he didn't look like any Italian I've ever met." I finish.
"Dreaming of a threesome with me and this other guy, were we? Never knew you were so freaky, Bonnie." Damon quips.
Never surprises me how he can focus on the trivial when other more important things are going on.
"The man you saw in your vision name is Carl Narducci. The people of this town are having their annual festival today. Homowo as they call it. All their traditional activities will be on display. You should go Bonnie." Mrs Flowers says. Doing a complete 360.
The turnaround leaves me speechless but Damon regains his senses faster than I do.
"You want her to what?" He thunders. "You can't possibly leave us hanging after that Narducci bomb. We came here for answers Mrs. Flowers. Not to socialize."
"I know that Damon. I also know you are worried about her and what might be happening back home as we speak. You'll just leave after you get the information you want. You might not understand the significance of this trip to Bonnie but I do. Bonnie might not make it back here again if its Carl you guys are up against. Take the day to enjoy being in the motherland. I'll give you answers when you get back."
Mrs. Flowers doesn't give either of us a chance to argue because she just ups and leaves.
"Don't do anything stupid, Damon." Sage says to Damon who was about to go after Mrs. Flowers. Damon groans but still obeys. I've never seen him show this much restraint.
"Go after her Bonnie. I'm sure she has a few instructions for you. Damon will be waiting till you get back from the street carnival. Won't you, Damon?"
Damon looks none too pleased about the arrangement but agrees. I turn to follow the path Mrs. Flowers took but Damon calls.
"Do try to have fun, Bonnie. For both of us." He says. I can tell from his face that he is being genuine. I smile back at him before I go after Mrs. Flowers.
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