I actually finished this the same night as I posted chapter 9, but since it was kind of a cliffy chapter I didn't know whether to post right away or not. I asked myself, "How can I help my readers enjoy this story the most?" Do y'all love the drama of waiting? Does thinking about what's gonna happen next make it more enjoyable when there's finally a new chapter? Tell me whatchu want so I know next time this happens. When I'm in the zone to write I type until I can't stop.
But I digress. Here's the next chapter.
Bonnie's eyes opened to take in the starry night sky; although the balls of gas were millions of miles away, they flared in the pitch-blackness of the galaxy.
Stargazing had always been one of Bonnie's favorite past times; she even used to own a telescope.
When she was still a child- and her mom was gone and her dad was busy- she would pitch a blanket fort in her backyard and leave the ceiling open so she could lie amongst the pillows and appreciate the universe.
Sometimes she would share the experience with her Grams or Elena, but she enjoyed it in solitude the most.
Tonight she was with her Grams. She could hear the chirps of crickets dancing through the quiet night air. Her grandmother lay beside her, humming a song Bonnie couldn't catch and running her fingers through Bonnie's raven tresses.
"Your mother used to love to watch the stars when she was your age," Sheila mused.
Bonnie's lips quirked up before falling into a straight line again. Nobody really talked about her mother, and most of the time Bonnie didn't want to hear about the woman who had abandoned her, but sometimes she would feel a small tug of yearning to know more about her.
"Its common for witches to look to the stars; they help open our minds for divination."
"Oh gosh not this witch stuff again, Grams."
Sheila laughed at her granddaughter's disbelieve in the craft. "Well then why do you like to watch them?"
Bonnie mulled over the question. "I don't know. I guess because they remind me of how trivial my problems really are."
She thought about it a bit more in silence; Sheila waited patiently for her to finish.
"Looking at them makes me realize there's so much more. To everything. And I like that even when they're so far away, I can always see them all the way down here. They'll always be there even when no one else is. Even when I'm gone. I may not contribute anything to this world before I die but at least the stars were there to watch over me."
Sheila squeezed Bonnie affectionately. "Baby girl, you were destined for greatness. Don't you forget that."
Bonnie snuggled closer to Sheila, reveling in the smell of chamomile and lime. She missed that smell.
She missed that smell?
She quickly sat up, breaking away from Sheila's comforting presence.
"What's the matter?"
Bonnie snapped her head around to look at her grandmother and shrieked in horror. Sheila's body had begun to decay at an exponential rate; her skin became papery thin and pulled tight against her bones; her cheekbones became more pronounced and her lips shriveled away to reveal her gums and a full set of teeth; her eyes caved into the hollow circles of her skull.
"Ready to go inside already?
Bonnie startled awake but was restrained by the ropes tied taut against her body. She looked down to see that she was tied against a wood post. On top of a pyre.
Oh, God.
She breathed heavily as she tried to move her arms, but they were restrained behind her. Where was Damon?
"The balance must be maintained at all costs."
Bonnie whipped her head up at the familiar voice. The old witch that continued to abuse her stepped from the shadow of the trees into the moonlight with her sect. Five of them carried torches.
"Where's my friend?"
"You worry for the vampyr. He is here."
A woman- at least six feet tall, with long, auburn hair and defined muscles- dragged him forward, face down on the floor. She tossed him a few feet closer to Bonnie's pyre. Bonnie's fear was quelled a bit at seeing his body. At least he wasn't completely dead…yet.
"He will follow you into extinction."
"Just let him go, he hasn't done anything."
"His very existence is a slight against the balance. Against nature. We will not suffer him."
Bonnie watched helplessly as the five witches walked forward with the torches.
How could she possibly escape from this?
They threw the torches. The branches landed on the bed of dry straw and ignited it instantly.
The flames rose quickly, licking at the air around Bonnie aggressively. She pressed herself closer to the wood block she was bound to in a futile attempt to keep away from the flames. They were coming for her and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She never had the power to save who really mattered. Not even herself.
And suddenly he was there…her father. She could see him above the rising flames; the orange blaze reflected in his dark brown eyes. Bonnie knew what was coming next.
As if on cue, Silas appeared behind Rudy and grabbed him around the head to pull it back and reveal his neck. No matter how much Bonnie wanted to look away and ignore the scene she had seen far too many times, she couldn't.
She screamed as the blade swept along his neck and crimson poured from the mortal wound. She hung her head and sobbed. Was that going to be the last thing she ever saw?
"You're so weak," Silas whispered into her ear.
Bonnie's sobs hitched in her throat, but her tears continued to fall. He had never talked to her before…he had never come this close to her.
"You call yourself a Bennett? It must be your father who watered down the bloodline."
Bonnie clenched her jaw. "Shut up. You're not real."
"Oh, I may not be real, but those flames sure are. It's getting awfully hot here, isn't it?" He pulled the collar of his black shirt away from his neck as if to air his skin off.
Bonnie eyed the flames that continued to grow.
"If only you had the power to save yourself. Isn't that what you want, Bonnie? Power?"
She shivered when his thumb grazed away a tear racing down her cheek. His lips brushed against her air, chilling her to the bone.
"The power to live? The power to save?"
It was what she wanted. She wanted it very much, especially now. She never had enough. Sophia had said that it was necessary; that it was the only way to survive- to have power, and to use it.
The flames bit at her mangled legs.
"You're just going to let yourself die here? You're just going to let Damon die? After all the trouble he went through to find you?"
Bonnie looked at Damon; he remained unconscious on the ground, unaware of the fiery fate Bonnie was about to meet.
"They're going to kill him Bonnie. Just like I killed your father," he laughed pompously.
"No…" Bonnie muttered, straining at the ropes again. "No, I won't let him die."
Silas placed his hand on her shoulder, his fingers skimming her collarbone.
"How, Bonnie? How will you do it?"
She took an unsteady breath and turned to look into Silas's eyes. They mimicked the flames that were overtaking her. The weight of his hand was heavy on her shoulder. She was losing herself in his presence- or whatever it was.
"Power. I need more power. I…need all of it."
A maniacal grin unfurled on his face. He placed a sloppy, wet kiss on the corner of Bonnie's left eye and disappeared.
She lurched forward. A wave of heat that was not the flames spread from the tips of her toes to rest of her body, causing her to close her eyes in exhilaration. The flames roared to life, skyrocketing 50 feet toward the sky.
Her legs started to snap back into their proper position, but Bonnie never flinched. She couldn't feel a single pin of pain for all she felt was euphoria, as if the purest heroin was shot into her starving veins.
Black lines started to branch out across her skin and crept up to her face. The ropes that held her fell away and charred in the flames.
The group of witches had scurried back in alarm at the sudden raging of the Bonnie's pyre flames.
"What's happening?" one of them cried, but received no answer.
They drew close together, murmuring in hushed voices waiting for the flames to calm. The old hag kept her position at the front of the group, close to Damon.
Her eyes bulged in fear when darkness overcame the brightness of the fire and it became a palpable inky inferno.
Bonnie stepped through the black flames on shaky feet. The veins had spread all the way into the center of her eyes; her pupils were slowly expanding, swallowing the green of her irises and overwhelming the white of her eyes.
"I-impossible!" Bonnie's tormentor stuttered, taking a wobbly step back.
The soft murmur of the witches turned into uproar. With a snap of Bonnie's fingers they were encased in black flames, screeching in agony as the blaze burned them alive.
"There's no point in trying to escape," Bonnie said to the woman. She held her steadfast to her standing place with little effort.
"You-you can't do this! The balance-!"
"To hell with your balance," Bonnie snarled, taking tremulous steps forward to stand in front of her. "It no longer applies to me. It never will again."
Her hand shot forward and her fingers wrapped around the woman's wrinkly, flabby neck. She took in a deep breath of air at the contact.
"Concordia. That's your name? Wow, you really do come from a different time."
"How…did you…?"
She ignored Concordia's question. "I can feel your power underneath the weight of the veil," Her lashes batted furiously as she read the woman. "There's so much. So defined…I need that kind of power."
Her grip tightened on Concordia's neck and started breaking her bones; her nails bit into her skin and drew small beads of blood. Concordia sputtered and uselessly struggled to pry Bonnie's hand off of her. She looked into Bonnie's eyes, choking, and saw no light, only death.
Bonnie drew her free hand back and showed Concordia a disparaging smile. "I'll just borrow yours."
She thrust her hand into Concordia's chest cavity, nicking open one of her lungs. Blood bubbled out of her thin mouth and dribbled off of her chin and onto Bonnie.
The girl squeezed her heart making Concordia spasm painfully, and then she ripped the organ out of her body.
The dead witch slumped in Bonnie's hand before fading away into the wisp she spoke of. Bonnie held her hand out, and the energy gathered in her bloody palm.
She looked up as the energy from the other witches flowed into her hand and blended with Concordia's. It phased into her, making the black veins across her body pulse hypnotically. She swayed underneath its magnetism and gazed at the twinkling stars.
"That is what power feels like," Silas said, reappearing by her side. He motioned to the dwindling black flames that had ended the witches.
"That is what power looks like. The power to conquer….the power to destroy. To be used against those who have wronged you. You said you wanted this, Bonnie. You said you wanted all of it. So take it. Take it all."
Well, Bonnie has left the building and the black veins make a reappearance. Poor Concordia..did she deserve that? Probably. If that wasn't actually Silas, who or what was it? Does this mean that Sophia can finish the spell now?
I love you guys. Thanks for reading and see you next chapter!