Chapter 25

Gravel crunched under my soft black boots as I sat cross-legged on the worn-out afghan. I had managed to sneak back to my old home one last time to steal little things that wouldn't be missed. Like a few good pieces of clothing, candles, an old afghan, a couple of books, my corral Marc Jacobs hobo bag, and a picture of me and my family.

I looked around the abandoned house. It was small, with cracks in the walls. Above, half the ceiling was torn away and there was a small loft that looked ready to collapse.

I set the unlit candles around myself, staring at the wick in front of me. My pale fists clenched, holding on to white knuckles. They were the only thing keeping me from screaming in the dim shack. Those same pale hands ran viciously through beautiful, curly, ruby red locks of hair. I bit my lip, biting hard enough to draw blood. Finally, unable to contain it any longer, I let out a loud, guttural scream, letting loose all my anger. Anger for Elena, anger for Parker, anger for my human friends, Meredith, Matt and Caroline.

How did I end up here? Why would my friends do this to me?

I stood quickly, turning her back towards the small, dusted shack. It was cozy and just far enough away from town that no one would think to come here. I had found this place after departing from Damon.

Dropping Damon's hand, I had turned away from him and looked up at the bloated moon. "I need to be alone for a moment," I had mumbled, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.

"Of course," Damon agreed, brushing the small of my back before planting a soft kiss on my forehead. "If anything should happen, do not hesitate to Call on me."

"I won't," I had whispered.

Suddenly I heard a flicker behind me. I listened more closely, but only heard a slight ruffle. Turning swiftly, my eyes instantly landed on the six candles I had set around my afghan on the dusty floor. My breath caught in my throat; the candles were lit. All six of them were suddenly burning bright.

My mouth popped open in shock as I looked around the small, dusty, cold house. "Hello?" No response. "I know you're in here!" I screamed, my hands shaking at my sides. I was feeling hurt that my friends let this happened to me, and terrified that someone might be messing with me right now, and blended together they tasted like anger.

I turned towards the door, ready to bolt and letting my anger lead me. Suddenly I heard a snap from behind me. When I turned back around, the flames of the candles were gone; little trails of smoke leaving the blackened wick.

"I demand you show yourself!" I yelled at the empty room.

I took a step towards the candles, ready to examine the scene of the crime, when the candles burst with flames. When the smoke cleared, all six candles were, once again, lit.

Quickly, I whipped out my cell phone and dialed Damon. Instantly, he picked up. "Damon, I need you to get over here."

Almost in no time, Damon was standing beside me. "That's not that I meant by Calling," Damon mumbled, his brilliant black eyes assessing the scene.

I slipped my cold hand into his, trying to conceal how terrified I really was, even though I was shaking visibly. I squeezed his hand tighter, grateful when the same pressure was returned. "We have plenty of time ahead of us for you to teach me how to use my Powers," I said, my voice shaking. "Right now I have a problem … I think."

"What's the problem?" Damon asked.

Letting out a loud breath, I instructed him to watch closely.

I lifted one foot, thinking about all my pent-up anger and hurt. Katherine had been conspiring against me. My parents didn't care enough to look for me, but they spent days looking for Katherine. Caroline, Meredith and Matt- they had all abandoned me, betrayed me. My fists clenched tight, tears stinging in my eyes. I dropped my foot, feeling Power rush through my limbs.

And the candles burst into flames.

I stumbled back a few paces, right into Damon's arms. "Did you see it? I'm not crazy!" I cried. Then I turned to Damon and clung to the supple leather of his jacket. "What does this mean?"

"It means you have far greater Power than either of us imagined," Damon muttered breathlessly, his eyes full of wonder as they raked over me, almost drinking me in.

Damon's face was so perfect, even with the pale light of the candles casting a faint orange glow on the right side of his face. The left side of his face was covered by a soft shadow. His hand ran smoothly against my cashmere sweater, resting on the small of my back.

I was frozen, unsure of what to do, but somehow knowing what was going to happen next. "Damon ..." I whispered, my hands relaxing against his chest, bringing my face closer to his.

Then, Damon leaned down, and pressed his soft pink lips against mine.

"Isn't this nice?" A malicious voice called.

Damon and I broke apart, both of us turning towards the opening in the old shack. Elena was leaning against the door, wearing a small smile on her lovely face.

"Elena, hey." I breathed, a little annoyed. Elena had perfect timing, didn't she? "What are you doing here?"

Elena's dark blue eyes flickered between Damon and me, her rose-tinted lips set in a taut line. "Your parents sent out a search party for you, Bonnie. They're a mess; they think you've been kidnapped. It's all anyone's talking about."

My heart skipped a beat. My parents were sending out a search party? I imagined my mothers face; worry lines more prominent, her light brown eyes filled with pain. All I ever wanted was my mothers love and attention, now that's what I had, and I was a vampire. There was no more going back; I could never go home. I needed to put the old Bonnie to rest, otherwise I would never be able to do what needed to be done.

I swallowed hard, ignoring the pinch behind my eyes. "We have to help them move on," I croaked, not even caring how coarse my voice sounded. "Maybe-maybe we can fake my death or something. Anything. They don't have to suffer because of this."

"Bonnie," Elena said firmly. "Calm down-"

"Don't tell me to calm down, Elena," I snapped, squinting hard at her. "You have no idea what this is like for me. I'm losing everything." All of a sudden I inhaled sharply, like I had been struck by a whip. It felt like something mighty was bearing down on me. Little prickles of heat met my skin, and suddenly I felt so isolated, so trapped. Without another word, I bolted from the little shack.

At first, my speed left me breathless, but I kept running. I needed to get away from Damon and Elena and the town, at least for now. I kept running, picking up speed, getting so fast the trees blurred. Then it became easy, instinctual. I dodged plants, jumping over fallen trees and chased deer. Laughing when I passed them.

Then something stopped me in my tracks. I smelled something in the air, a foreign smell that didn't belong in the deep greenery of the Virginian woods. I waited for a gust of wind to bring the smell my way again. It was coming from my left. I turned and darted towards the smell. Thankfully, it didn't seem to sense me. I came up behind it, stepping into a clearing carefully.

Instantly, my eyes landed on a figure standing on a huge rock up ahead. It occurred to me that me and the stranger were on a cliff, if I were still human I would be worried about falling off. The only difference was that I knew how to easily avoid death, now. It was mere instincts. I studied the figure, wondering if it knew I was here. It was wearing a black sweater with the hood pulled up. I couldn't tell from behind, but it looked like a man.

If I could just see the person's face, I would know. I took a step to the right, my feet somehow avoiding the little, breakable twigs on the ground. I could tell from the person's stillness, that it was a vampire. Even without making any sound, it should know I was here. I wondered what it was waiting for.

Finally, I decided to speak up, but then the person turned and my words caught in my throat. "Parker!" I gasped, stumbling backwards, into another, hard figure. I looked over my shoulder and met vibrant blue eyes. I gasped again, nearly fainting with surprise. "Michael!"

It was all too much. Parker watched me with a slight, wicked smile on his face. "Hello, Bonnie," He greeted me pleasantly. "I'm so glad we could catch you."

Something about the way he said this, made me think they had been hunting me for a while. "H-how is this possible?" I asked, watching Michael as he stepped around me and went to Parker. My hands shook. "This is... impossible."

Parker cocked his head to the side. "Poor, little, Bonnie. Haven't you learned that anything is possible?" He chuckled softly.

My lips parted, unable to form a response. Finally I bit my lip and gazed at the boys, standing side by side. That's really what they were; boys. Michael studied me, too; his eyebrows creased in consternation, her lips set in a taut line. I planted my feet solidly on the ground. I must be stronger than them; Damon had said just that in the shack. I was sure I could take them, if it came to that … or at least run fast enough. "Tell me what's going on, Parker."

"You haven't figured it out already?" Parker asked, smiling widely and shaking his head, as if I was the pettiest thing. "Oh, alright, I suppose the jig is up, now. You see, I was born in the 1930s to a very strict man. My mother had died giving birth to me, the youngest of my siblings. He never liked me or my brothers and sisters. Every now and then he would show us exactly what he was made of." Parker's jaw clenched, and he got this far off look in his eye. "One night, he got so angry that he actually killed one of us. Me. I was only sixteen." Parker looked at me sadly, with a sick glint in his eyes. "What my father didn't know, was how strong a child's hate could grow. Right before my father killed me, I made a deal with a very dangerous man. I told this man about my hate and my thirst for revenge against my father. The man gave me a drink of his own blood, and sent me on my way, giving me instructions to pray to the Devil each night until my inevitable death.

"When I finally got my wish, I was more prepared than ever." Parker was becoming more and more intense; his hands shook and his bottom teeth stuck out slightly. "After I was buried, I came back to life with a vengeance. My first victim was the blacksmiths wife who I seen once striking a poor boy for picking through her garbage. The next, was my father," he said with such cruelty that I took a step back. Parker suddenly laughed, showing no remorse. "You really should have seen his face, Bonnie; it was hilarious."

I started at him in disgust.

"Oh, right! You want to know why I'm hurting you and your loved ones, am I right?" His eyes glittered. Michael crossed his arms over his slight chest.

I nodded cautiously.

"Well, as you can probably tell, when I decide to do something, I usually get my way. And when I decide I want someone …" he looked up at me from under his lashes, his eyes black with determination. "Then if I can't have her, no one else will."

My brain ran in overtime, all the details suddenly falling into place. "That's why you sent me to jail. How did you turn my friends against me?" He raised one eyebrow. "Right, Compulsion, of course. Why did you need Elena in Fells Church? Why not leave her out of it?"

His eyebrows creased. "Elena? She was never a part of the plan. It did come as a shock to me when she showed up as Katherine, though I let bygones be bygones."

"And what about him?" I asked, jerking my chin towards Michael Honeycutt, the boy I supposedly murdered 7 months ago.

The corners of Parker's lips quirked up. "It's amazing how easy it is to trick the humans, isn't it? All I had to do was get a body that looked enough like Michael from across the globe, make it look like you murdered him and then... Tada! Mission accomplished."

"But … but how did Michael get involved?" I asked, unable to comprehend it. "If you wanted me all to yourself, then why pretend to kill Michael instead of Matt?"

Parker's eyebrows rose. I noticed for the first time that his eyes were unclouded. "And if you're a vampire, then how can it look like you're stoned? I mean, does that stuff work on vampires?"

"So many questions!" Parker exclaimed, seeming pleased. "You're taking this all exceptionally well. When I told Katherine it took her days to take it it." He eyed me appreciatively.

I glared at him vehemently. "I guess I'm just a little more desperate to believe. Now answer the questions."

He chuckled. "Okay, okay. Now … between Michael and Matt, which of the two do you think Fells Church would miss less?"

I thought about it. Matt was on Varsity football, track and pretty much every sport Fells Church had to offer. If he went missing, they definitely would have broken their backs looking.

"Bingo!" Parker said, watching my expressions change. "Nobody would miss little Michael more than Matty. So I chose Michael. It gave me more time, you see, to construct my plan. Of course, I wasn't planning on keeping Michael around, but he proved himself useful. He knew how to get into Matt's head easily, knew your class schedule, got Katherine on our side with his boyish charm, and know he got you here. I think Michael deserves a round of applause, don't you?"

While Parker clapped, I watched Michael's face. He had been staring down at the ground this whole time, the dip between his eyebrows becoming more and more pronounced. I wanted to ask him if he wanted to be here, helping Parker, but I knew his response wouldn't matter. He's already done so much to assist Parker, there was no going back for him now. He had crossed over to the dark side.

"Now, onto your second question. I appear to be on drugs occasionally because that is the time when I am most thirsty. After I feed, my eyes are more clear blue. I have no idea why this is and neither does my creator. Does that answer your question?"

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked, my lips barely moving. A thought occurred to me. "I could just go right back to Elena and Damon and tell them everything. We won't take this laying down; we will have our revenge."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Parker said, his expression suddenly morphing into a harsher, crueler mask than the one I was used to. His eyes turned dark blue. "If I can't have you, no one can. You're very unique, Bonnie. Especially as a vampire. Your Powers exceed your strength. I bet you haven't even learned how to use them yet, have you?"

I didn't answer.

He smirked wickedly. "Just as I thought. You're in no position to fight me, nor Michael. At least not at this moment."

I searched his eyes, testing to see if he was waiting till my guard was down to attack me. When I found nothing but compromise in them, I sighed. "What do you propose we do, then, Parker?"

Parker took a step towards me slowly, like a hunter approaching a baby deer, afraid to spook it. "Bonnie, I would like you to leave Fells Church and never come back. Ever."

My back stiffened; I hadn't seen this coming. A painful sensation started in my brain, but I fought past it. "And what if I don't?"

He took another step towards me, an evil glint entering his eyes. "I think we both know the answer to that question. I'll hunt down your loved ones, bind them, and then kill them in the most painful, slow way possible right before your eyes. Your mother and father, Caroline, Meredith, Matt, Elena, Damon. I'll make sure you hear their screams in your nightmares until you wish you had suffered the same fate."

My heartbeat kicked into overtime. I listened to Parker's words getting farther and farther away, as if he were walking down a long tunnel. Two white dots appeared in front of my eyes and I tasted bile in the back of my throat. To my left, the sun rose, glinting off Parker's sparkly white canines. I didn't know if he could go through with what he was promising, of if that was in his power, but something told me he wouldn't stop until he had gotten his way. It was instinctual.

My breathing came in rasps, my heart felt sick. Parker watched all of this with sick amusement, with an almost perverse look in his eyes.

"Please," I whispered, barely making a sound. I worked to make my voice stronger. "Please, don't. Don't hurt them."

Parker smiled wider. "I won't hurt them," he assured me. "All you have to do is leave and never come back. Forget about your life here, forget about everyone. Otherwise, you'll have marked them for death. How does that sound?"

Horrible. Painful. Evil. "I'll do it," I said before I could stop myself.

Parker raised his eyebrows, as if not believing his ears. Something about his expression told me he was hoping that I had tried to protect them, just so he could hear their please. "Off you go, then."

I turned away, not caring that I was leaving my back unprotected. I stepped out of the clearing, turning my back on Fells Church and Parker. I began running again, leaving my heart behind with the rest of me. I didn't know where I would go, what I would do, or if I could stay away, but I knew I could never put anyone I loved in danger. Especially not Damon.

Finally, I had found someone to love and someone to love me back. Someone who had enough fire within them to keep me alight, someone who would never be boring or dull; someone forever changing. It had taken a lot to find out, but I was here. I was sure I could never love anyone more than I loved Damon.

That was all I could be sure of. It was all I had.

At least, for now.

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A/N This is the last chapter of this novel, but there will be more exciting new stories to come. If you have any questions or concerns, I urge you to PM me. Please leave a review, telling me your thoughts. And also, I'm thinking about writing a sequel for this story, or maybe adding on. What do you guys think? Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

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Chapter Title:

Cough Syrup by Young The Giant