Thank you all for the response to this fic. I am overwhelmed with happiness and excited to begin this new journey with Bonnie Bennett as the Doppelganger that launched many feuds. LOL! I hope you continue to enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world
And the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
The three young women arrived at their apartment not far from the bar. Bonnie's hand was still chilled from Stefan's touch earlier and her mind was still preoccupied with what occurred on the side of the road with that stranger. Her night was a memorable one that's for sure.
"Bonnie, I can't believe that you took his phone number!" Caroline exclaimed stomping into the apartment.
Bonnie rolled her eyes before protesting, "I didn't take his phone number," Bonnie shaking off her leather jacket and throwing it on the couch, "it's no big deal."
"That's right it's no big deal and Bonnie didn't take his phone number. I did for her," Elena spoke up, "and Caroline, he's clearly interested in her…let it go."
"But I saw him first," Caroline pouted plopping down in one of the lovesacs, "and what about girl code, huh Bonnie?"
Bonnie scoffed while Elena rolled her eyes, "You and Elena play musical dicks with Tyler and Matt every couple of years, girl code seems like a moving target for us. Besides, I didn't do anything but say hi to the guy. He's weird anyway or at least, he made me feel weird," Bonnie picked up one of the magazines from the coffee table shrugging.
"Made you feel weird in what way?" Elena asked.
"Like in the tingling lady parts way?" Caroline probed with a raised eyebrow.
Wrinkling her nose, Bonnie answered, "No, just weird. When he shook my hand, I just got really cold. It was…I don't know…it was the same feeling that I felt when that guy grabbed me earlier tonight on the side of the road."
"Well maybe you are still feeling something from what happened on your way to Scooters. Stefan seemed pretty normal to me," Elena shrugged.
"Or maybe it's because it's been a minute since you actually had a guy pay you any attention Bon. I guess Stefan would be a good candidate to bring you out of a dry spell," Caroline admitted begrudgingly.
"Caroline, he gave me his number for school, not to date. He probably won't even remember a couple of days from now," Bonnie shrugged, wanting to be right. Stefan's touch unnerved her and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about him.
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"Bonnie, he's coming for you," the melodic voice drifted through the air like a feather, "you have to protect yourself, especially your heart…realize your nature before it's too late," the female voice warned.
Bonnie's eyes shot open as soon as the woman's voice floated away and she turned to look at the clock, but the clock was nowhere to be found. "What?" she whispered and then she noticed that she was floating above the bed, "Oh my god!" she screeched kicking at the air before falling down on the bed…hard, "Ow!" she rubbed her back and looked over at the clock. There was a note from Elena saying that she left for Matt's in the middle of the night.
She looked up at the ceiling. She hadn't been floating. It wasn't possible. There was no way that she was levitating, "People don't float in the air, Bonnie," she whispered closing her eyes and breathing deeply, like her Grams had taught her when things were out of control…but deep breathing wouldn't help the fact that she woke up floating over her bed or the fact that she had that dream.
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Stefan focused on his cell phone walking slowly down the steps of the boarding house. After last night, he was sure that Bonnie would call—for the simple fact that she was probably curious if nothing else. He spent time scrolling through his recent calls, when two figures caught his eye on his way to the kitchen. Pausing and allowing a loud sigh to escape his lips, he stood in the doorway to the living room, "Really Damon?" he scoffed.
His brother turned to him, gently wiping the blood from his lips and moving away from the unconscious brunette who slumped over on the couch, "Oh I forgot, this is an animal only household," Damon smirked, "but are you sure, you don't want a taste?" Damon placed his bloody finger in his own mouth while winking at Stefan.
A look of disgust spread across Stefan's face as he spoke moving towards the kitchen, "Get her out of here and you're ruining the upholstery."
"Still the same Stefan," Damon snorted, "tell me, did you track her down last night."
Stefan took a deep breath and carefully avoided Damon's question, "Why are you here Damon? I believe your last words were I hope Mystic Falls burns to the ground and I hope you are the first thing set on fire, so why are you here now? She's not Cristina if that's why you're here."
"She…hmm…you mean the college girl wearing that bitch's face? No, she's not her. I know that, I could tell that last night."
"So why are you here? There's nothing you want here," Stefan challenged him.
Damon fixated on Stefan for a few moments and then his eyes widened, "Ahh, you're interested in the college girl," Damon grinned, "that's sick and they call me the crazy one."
"No, I'm not interested in her. I just want to make sure you stay away from her."
"Oh come on Brother, I can tell the way that jaw is tightening that the mere thought that I could be interested in the college girl…"
"Bonnie," Stefan corrected him.
"Bonnie. Nice name. I'm not interested in Bonnie…well not really…" Damon smiled.
Stefan moved closer, "She doesn't deserve you anywhere near her."
"And why is that Stefan? You know, she looked very very very innocent last night, if you know what I mean," Damon wiggled his eyebrow, "maybe I should turn my attention to her, give her a memorable experience."
"Stay away from her," Stefan growled causing Damon to laugh loudly and respond, "So you want to live out some warped Cristina fantasy with Bonnie? That's pathetic," Damon chuckled.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Stefan turned his attention to the blood he heated in the microwave, "but once again, why are you here?"
"Because based on some good intel, I learned that the bitch is here and when she shows her face—I'm going to repay her for her kindness, by driving a stake through her cold, dead heart," Damon stated through clenched teeth, "she ruined our lives. She's the cause of everything that happened to us before we turned and then she cut and run…"
"She was burned alive in that church. Cristina is dead Damon."
"Is she? That's not what a witch in Chicago told me and you know they kept tabs on their own abominations. She's here in Mystic Falls, I can feel it and when she shows that beautiful face," Damon looked over at Stefan, "I'm going to be ready. She's going to pay for everything she did to us."
Stefan folded his arms chuckling, "You know, the way you embraced being a vampire, I thought that you would gladly thank Cristina for what she did."
Narrowing his eyes, Damon spoke, "When I see her, she's dead…for real this time," he turned on his heels and made his way to the kitchen door, before speaking again, "now excuse me, I need to drop off my little date in there. Have a good day Brother, see you around," he promised before disappearing.
Stefan stared at the space where Damon stood seconds before, while his brother initially hated their transformation into vampires…into the walking dead…into beings that were just stuck in between, alive but not—Stefan embraced it. He knew what Cristina was and he loved her anyway. He was willing to turn for her, even murder his father to keep her safe. It was only after they turned that he found out that Cristina was a master manipulator and had also started a relationship with his brother. He convinced himself that she died in the fire that his father and the Mystic Falls townspeople set to kill her and those like her. She had to be dead, because he feared that was the only way he would be able to move on from her completely. He had at times entered in relationships with others, but sometimes when he allowed himself—he thought of her. When he locked eyes with Bonnie the previous day on campus, for a split second he thought Cristina had come back to him. He focused on her from across the grass and that's when he saw it—her eyes. There was a vulnerability there and if there was one thing Cristina didn't possess, it was vulnerability. Bonnie was no Cristina but there was a part of him that needed to be truly sure.
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Bonnie parked her car and rushed towards her only Friday class clutching her messenger bag. After waking up in mid-air, her entire day had been thrown off. She was barely able to piece together an outfit before throwing her hair into a messy ponytail before rushing out of the apartment.
She spent most of the morning convincing herself that she was hallucinating about floating in air, which pretty much meant she was crazy. She could accept crazy over whatever her Grams hinted at for years. Witches didn't exist. Things that went bump in the night didn't exist. It was all a figment of her imagination—it had to be.
As for the dream, with the voice that she didn't recognize and the person she couldn't see, it was just that-a dream. A dream that meant exactly nothing. Bonnie hurried through the doors of the lecture hall and found a seat quickly and removed her laptop from her bag. She said a silent prayer that today would be normal compared to yesterday and fired up her laptop.
"Is this seat taken?" a rather familiar voice came from above. She grimaced, 'So much for normal,' she thought, "No, I don't think anyone is sitting there."
He took the seat next to her, "I'm sorry if I was a little too forward last night," he apologized with a look of self deprecation. Bonnie immediately felt some of the walls she built up come down a little.
"No, I'm sorry," she rushed to apologize, "I had a weird night last night and this morning wasn't much better. I guess last night my mind was on something else."
"So I guess we can start over completely, I'm Stefan Salvatore," he stuck out his hand causing Bonnie to look down. She still remembered the feeling that shot through her body when she touched him before and it caused her to hesitate, "I promise, I don't have cooties," he smiled self consciously.
She wrinkled her nose, "Cooties?" she laughed.
"Well that's all I could think of," he smiled sheepishly.
"It's fine and that's not why I refused to shake your hand, I'm just a little weird about things like that," she lied.
"Ok…I get it, so are you from around here?"
"Yes, born and raised in Mystic Falls and you?"
"Actually, my family has distant ties to Mystic Falls," he answered as the doors of the lecture opened and a short, tanned balding man walked in.
"Hello Students…welcome to Introduction to Occult Studies. I'm Professor Douglas Owens," the professor announced at the front of the lecture hall.
"How about we have lunch after class?" Stefan whispered.
Bonnie looked over and before she could think about it, she found herself smiling and nodding, "Ok…I can do that."
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After class, Bonnie and Stefan headed towards the Student Union Building for lunch. Sitting at a table by the window, Bonnie had a weird feeling being in Stefan's presence. Maybe it was just the nervous jitters that every girl got spending time with a new guy that she may or may not have a crush on, but there was a small part of her that believed that it could be more than that.
"So what made you come here for college? I take it you didn't go to high school in Mystic Falls?" Bonnie asked putting a fry in her mouth.
"No…I traveled a bit and thought that I should come home for college, you know. Actually be in one place for awhile."
"Oh so what do your parents do? Are they in the military or something?"
Stefan shook his head, "No, my parents are actually…uh…both dead." He watched as her face melted before she rushed to apologize, "Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed…"
"No, its fine. There was no way that you could know, its been a long time. I lived with distant relatives for awhile and then went to school overseas."
"Really? And you returned to good ole boring Mystic Falls?"
Stefan chuckled—Mystic Falls was anything but boring, "Yeah, well…its home."
"That it is," Bonnie drifted off.
"So tell me, what about you? Born and raised in Mystic Falls, never wanted to leave for college or anything?" Stefan questioned.
"Maybe I will study abroad my senior year, but I've always felt a connection to Mystic Falls. I can't explain it. Maybe its my Grams that keeps me here, we keep each other company," Bonnie smiled.
"And your parents?"
Stefan noticed Bonnie's eyes flicker a little and she began playing with a pendant around her neck. It was a pendant with a B etched in black, encased in a gold medallion, "My dad travels a lot for work and my mom…she's not around."
"Oh…" Stefan began and drifted off looking around the room.
"Hey…one of the fraternities is hosting a party tomorrow night in The Gathering, I don't know if you have other plans…but do you want to come with me and my friends?" Bonnie asked, "not as a date or anything," she rushed to say, "but since you're getting used to Mystic Falls again, I thought it would be something to do…if its not your type of thing, I understand."
Stefan met her eyes and smiled, "No, I'm back in town and I need to meet some new people—so I will definitely come to the party."
"Ok, good…I will text you the time and how to find the place."
Stefan looked over at Bonnie, she wore the face of the woman that he loved for years, but she was definitely not her, "I look forward to it," he answered.
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With the blood moon providing some light, her heart beat rapidly as she sprinted through the woods. The tree branches sliced through her bare arms as she tried to get away from the predator following close behind. She could hear their footsteps, but every time she turned back—she saw nothing, but she knew they were there…somewhere. She turned back around and that's when she saw it, the black hole, but it was too late for her to stop and she found herself falling. Falling into an unknown abyss she screamed. Finally, she reached the bottom with a thump! Opening her eyes, she could see what broke her fall and her eyes met the dead, cold and unseeing eyes of Professor Owens. She screamed as his blood drenched her completely. She clawed the dirt walls trying to get away from the body, but her attempts were futile. She thrashed around violently in the warm crimson liquid.
"Bonnie…Bonnie!" she heard Elena's voice from above and felt someone shaking her, "Bonnie…wake up!"
Her eyes shot open and she stared directly into Elena's brown ones, "Elena?" she asked confused looking at her arms absent of all blood.
"You were having a nightmare, I heard you all the way in my room."
Bonnie shook her head, "A nightmare?"
"Yes…at least I hope that's what it was," Bonnie took deep breaths, reaching over and grabbed her water bottle from the night table, "It was so real…scary…" she choked out in between gulps of water.
"What was it about?" Elena asked.
"I was running. Running from someone I couldn't see and then I fell into a hole or maybe it was a grave. My professor was in it. He was dead. It was…I don't know; it didn't feel like a nightmare."
"But that's all it was. I don't think your professor is dead, Bonnie," Elena reassured her squeezing her shoulder.
"No…no…he's not."
Elena frowned, "Are you sure you're ok? You haven't been the same since that night that guy grabbed you on the road."
Bonnie met Elena's gaze. She hadn't told anyone about waking up floating over her bed and she had no desire to. They would think she was nuts. People didn't float. Then there was the quiet hum that she ignored since the day she met the man on the road. She had a constant feeling of anxiousness now. She wasn't sure where it came from, but at times, she felt like she was going crazy or that she was wound so tight that she would break one of these days.
"I've been a little jittery," she confessed, "but I think it will pass soon."
"Did he do anything else to you?" Elena whispered as if she was afraid of the answer.
"No, he just grabbed me and then ran away. It's still weird and I don't understand what spooked him, but I'm glad something did."
"Ok…well I'm going out for a run, want to come?" Elena stood up from the bed.
"No, I'm actually going to try to get more sleep. We're going to the party later tonight at 7, right?"
"Yup."
"I invited Stefan," Bonnie winced a little, knowing that her friends would undoubtedly make this a bigger deal than it was.
Elena grinned, "What?" she asked sitting back down, "you invited him? Wow…I didn't think you were interested in him like that, I know that he's definitely interested in you but…"
"I'm not interested in him like that," Bonnie objected quickly, "I just…he's new in town and he doesn't really hang out, so I thought he could come tonight."
"Uh huh."
"What?" Bonnie asked.
"He's hot Bonnie and I imagine single. I don't understand why you're not interested."
Bonnie opened her mouth and then closed it. There was the other issue, that when she touched him, her body did something that she couldn't describe and not in a good way, "Because…I'm just not. He's a friend right now and I don't know if we will ever be more."
"Sure, you say that now—but he's coming to the party, you'll be there and things happen," Elena wiggled her eyebrow before rising from the bed and heading out of the room. Bonnie sunk down in her bed. Elena was definitely wrong.
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That evening, Damon stood in the doorway of the bathroom watching Stefan shave. His little brother. Oh, how he hated him. Everything about him was perfect, right down to his perfectly gelled coifed hair. Their father doted on Stefan, until he found out that Stefan was banging Cristina all over the house and because of Stefan and his obsession with the bitch, he was rewarded with a bullet to chest. He would never forgive him. He blamed the bitch for what she turned him into, but his brother was also to blame and he had no problem letting his brother know it.
"Off to the 8th grade dance Stefan?" Damon leaned in the doorway.
Stefan continued to shave without turning around, "Don't you have an unsuspecting victim to find?"
"Maybe I'll find one at the little shindig in the woods tonight. A young co-ed, about this tall…" Damon placed his hand at his shoulder, "and the color of caramel, with green eyes and a cute little mouth…I wonder if she tastes like caramel too."
Stefan chuckled, "I know you have no intentions on coming near Bonnie, she has you scared shitless," Stefan rinsed the razor and turned to Damon, "she looks exactly like Cristina and you have no idea why. That unsettles you."
Damon's eyes flickered to a darker blue.
Stefan continued sensing the opening, "You know she's not Cristina, but there's something about her that you just can't figure out."
"I've only met her once and have no desire to meet her again, unless Cristina is standing next to her," Damon spat out before turning and leaving Stefan in the bathroom. Stefan watched his brother's retreating figure and smiled. Whatever he had to do to keep Damon away from Bonnie, he would do.
He believed that Damon didn't want anything to do with Bonnie. She looked too much like Cristina and because of that, Damon would stay far away. Stefan, on the other hand, was intrigued. He had no idea why she looked so much like Cristina other than the fact that they were related in some way. Bonnie wasn't a vampire, that was clear, but there was something else about her—he couldn't put his finger on it, but she was special. He had to know more about her and there was a chance, it would be to his detriment.
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"You know Bonnie; I can't believe that you invited Stefan here on a date. I mean, get that he gave you his number and all…but I really, really liked him," Caroline whined as she, Bonnie and Elena made their way towards the woods.
"You barely knew him," Elena spoke up beside her.
"And I'm not dating him Caroline, he's just a friend. You are free to do whatever you want with Stefan," Bonnie sighed. She was sick of Caroline's whining about Stefan.
"No, no…I can accept when I have been cast to the side," Caroline wrapped her arm around Bonnie's shoulder walking into the clearing people where hanging out drinking from kegs, laughing, dancing and talking. It was a typical college gathering. It was second semester of freshman year and Bonnie was used to these events. The drinking, the hooking up and the fact that this would be the next 3 years of her life and it wasn't bad at all.
"Here you go ladies," Matt Donovan brought over three cups of beer, "you are going to need it."
Bonnie chuckled taking the cup from Matt and casually looking around the bonfire in the middle of the crowd. She saw the scene that Matt was referencing, Tyler Lockwood, Elena and Caroline's ex-boyfriend from high school was whispering and feeling up another freshman on one of the logs. Bonnie looked over at Elena, who barely reacted and then at Caroline, who wore a face of disgust. Their little group was slightly incestuous. Elena and Caroline both dated Matt and Tyler, at different times and it was all kinds of weird—but somehow they made it work. Bonnie, on the other hand, had other interests and it wasn't dating any guys that she'd known since pre-school. She looked around and then she laid eyes on him. He noticed her and smiled making his way over. She sipped her beer nervously. It wasn't that she particularly liked Stefan, she barely knew him, but he was different and because he was different—she was interested in knowing him.
"Hi," he met her a couple of yards away from her friends.
"You came and you found it easily," Bonnie met his eyes.
Stefan nodded and gave her a wry smile, "Well, you can pretty much hear everyone from the road."
"Yeah, we aren't exactly quiet…which is weird with all the underage drinking going on," Bonnie sipped her beer, "do you want a cup?"
Stefan focused on Bonnie with a look that she couldn't read, "I don't really drink…"
"Oh, sorry…"
"But when in Rome," Stefan commented.
She smiled revealing one of the purest smiles Stefan had witnessed in a long time.
"Well who is this being brought into the circle," Tyler drunkenly joined the group.
"Stefan Salvatore…and this is Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan, we've been friends for years. You met Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes before."
Stefan nodded towards the group.
"And what are your intentions with our Bonnie?" Tyler stood closer to Bonnie.
"We're just friends and please, don't do the protective brother thing…it's creepy," Bonnie grimaced, "and on that note, Stefan let's leave my friends."
"Yes, so they discuss me freely," Stefan winked joining Bonnie walking over to the kegs.
"Soo…who did you date Matt or Tyler?" Stefan asked pouring a cup of beer causing Bonnie to scoff, "Umm neither, they only had eyes for Caroline and Elena."
"But they do have eyes, correct? How could that be?" Stefan focused on her eyes.
Bonnie broke into a smile and raised an eyebrow, "Are you flirting with me?"
"Flirting…nooo…just stating truth."
Bonnie felt the temperature shoot up around them staring back at Stefan, when someone let out a scream, "Something bit me!" Bonnie's turned to look at Angelica Moore, one of the girls in her Biology class stumbling into the opening from the trees, "it's still out there!" she held onto her neck as blood trickled through her fingers.
Her words sent everyone into a panic causing people to run to her and some to run away from the clearing. "I'll be back," Stefan touched Bonnie's arm lightly, "you should probably find your friends and get out of here."
Bonnie nodded watching Stefan run away from her. "Bonnie, come on!" she felt Elena grab her hand and pull her away from the clearing, but as soon as they reached the trees, a drunken girl came by and grabbed onto Bonnie separating her from Elena, "It's crazy over there," she slurred hanging onto Bonnie.
"Get off of me!" Bonnie pushed her away, but not before the girl took Bonnie's necklace down with her. Without thinking and with everyone running past her, Bonnie dropped to her knees looking for her necklace. With darkness surrounding her, Bonnie used her the flashlight on her phone to find her necklace. It was the only thing she had left from her mother.
Finally, she saw the gold chain and retrieved it from the dirt. She stood up to start running towards the cars, when someone stumbled in front of her and she fell to the ground with them on top of her. Screaming she struggled to get their body off of hers. They were heavy and she pushed with all of her might, moving them to the side of her. It was only then that she felt the wetness all over her. Her eyes drifted down and she saw that she was covered in blood. Her surroundings immediately slowed down as she studied her hands, covered in blood. Bonnie slowly turned her head to see who knocked her to the ground and made eye contact with the person. His eyes were open, the skin on his neck was torn and blood gushed from the wound, she took it all in and then she recognized the person…it was Professor Owens.
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Stefan rushed through the woods searching. Angelica had two puncture wounds in her neck. He knew what happened and he knew who was responsible. He reached a clearing within the trees and saw him, "Why did you come here?" Stefan asked.
"College girls," Damon smiled using his thumb to wipe blood from the corner of his mouth, "you think you can have a nice normal life here playing college boy and flirting innocently with Cristina's clone. There's nothing innocent about you and I'm going to make sure everyone knows it before I leave this godforsaken town."
"So you have two goals…kill Cristina and ruin my life?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Damon commented before disappearing into the darkness.
Stefan turned to follow Damon, but he heard a blood curdling scream come from the clearing and took off running to the voice.
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Bonnie screamed moving away from Professor Owens, she looked at his blood all over her hands and she couldn't stop screaming. It was like she was on auto-pilot. Suddenly two pale hands, grabbed hers and she looked up to meet dark eyes. "Bonnie, it's ok…look at me," Stefan focused on her helping her up off the ground.
Bonnie turned to see Stefan, but something was wrong with his face—around his eyes were black veins and his eyes almost seemed blood red. She instantly backed away from him and out of his grip staring at him. He looked at her wide eyed before turning away from her.
"Bon!" Elena rushed over, "We got separated…oh my god! What happened!" Elena shrieked taking in Bonnie's bloody hands.
"Our professor…he was killed," Stefan stated looking over at Bonnie who stared at him intently, "Elena, take her home. I will check on her later, ok."
Elena nodded wrapping her arm around Bonnie and leading her out of the woods, with Bonnie looking over her shoulder at him.
Stefan watched them disappear before kneeling down and looking at Professor's Owens neck, "Fucking Damon," he mumbled before removing his cell phone from his pocket.
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Caroline opened the door to their apartment as Elena led Bonnie in. She'd been silent the entire time and they were worried. "Bon, come sit in this chair," Elena stated quietly. Bonnie sat in the chair in her blood stained shirt and stared at the door.
"Maybe we should take her to the hospital?" Caroline suggested, "or call Grams?"
"I saw him…" Bonnie mumbled with tears pooling in her eyes.
"You saw the guy who died?" Caroline asked.
"It was her professor," Elena answered.
"I had that nightmare," Bonnie looked over at Elena, "I dreamed he died. I was covered in his blood and…" she looked down at her hands and that's when she noticed the blood, "oh my god…oh my god!" she shrieked standing up from the chair, "he's dead! He's dead…I saw it! I saw it in my dream and it's real!" she stated hysterically while Elena and Caroline tried to calm her down, "it's real…it's all real," she paced the room running her hands through her hair, "it's all real…but what is it?" she asked quietly to no one but herself, "I have to go," she rushed over to pick up her purse, but Caroline and Elena jumped in front of the door, "Bonnie, we need you to calm down," Elena held out her hands.
"I have to go…I…I have to go…please let me go," Bonnie cried.
"Bonnie, you're upset…you're not thinking straight," Caroline protested.
"Let me go!" Bonnie screamed as the lights in the apartment all began to flicker.
"What the hell?" Caroline asked moving out of the way with Elena as Bonnie looked around, before opening up the door and rushing out.
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The door rattled with every rapid knock that met the wood, Sheila Bennett could barely get the door open before Bonnie charged into her home mumbling a thousand words per minute, "Slow down Child, what is going on?" Sheila Bennett's smoky voice asked with concern studying her granddaughter. Bonnie's eyes were wild, she was shaking a little and her shirt had blood stains on it, "What happened?"
"Grams…tell me…tell me again about our ancestors…."
Sheila raised an eyebrow, "What…Bonnie…what happened, what's wrong?"
Bonnie sighed in frustration running her hands through her hair. Her eyes were crazed with fear, "Tell me about our ancestors, tell me again…tell me…please."
Sheila placed her hands on her granddaughter's arms, "Bonnie, slow down and tell me what happened. Why do you have blood on you?"
The tears in Bonnie's eyes began to fall, "He's dead."
"Who's dead?" Sheila asked.
"Professor Owens, he's dead. Something…I don't know an animal killed him."
Sheila gasped, "Wow…that is horrible, but why do you have blood on you?"
"He ran into me before…" Bonnie choked out, "before he died. But I saw it…"
"You saw the animal who attacked him?" Sheila asked.
Bonnie shook her head, "No, I saw it in my dreams. I saw him dead before tonight."
Sheila stared at Bonnie unblinking for a moment and then she spoke, "I want you to calm down, I will make some tea." Bonnie nodded as Sheila led her into the kitchen guiding her over to a chair, "now Bonnie, I want you to tell me everything. Tell me everything that you've been feeling, what you have experienced and everything about tonight."
Bonnie took a deep breath before speaking, "I woke up the other morning and I was floating," Bonnie recounted.
Sheila stared back at her without saying a word for a few beats and then spoke calmly, "How far were you up in the air?"
Bonnie shook her head, "What? What do you mean? I don't know…2 or 3 feet…that's not the important part of what happened, I was floating!"
"Yes, I am aware. So has anything else happened…besides the levitating and your professor?" Sheila asked.
Bonnie bit her lip as Sheila poured water in her teapot, she could tell her Grams about what happened on the side of the road, but then she would go into protective mode…and then there was the dream or whatever it was, "I had a dream or I think it was a dream. It was weird, I was standing in the middle of the Fells Church cemetery and someone was whispering to me…a woman…I didn't see her face or anything, but I just remember shivering. She told me that he's coming for me and that I have to protect myself and my heart. She told me to realize my nature before it's too late."
Sheila's eyes widened, "Bonnie…"
Bonnie bit her lip, "Grams, something else happened yesterday."
"What?"
Bonnie took a deep breath, "I met a guy on the side of the road or rather, it wasn't a real meeting…it was just weird…he grabbed me and he stared at me for a few moments and then ran away or disappeared, but as soon as he touched me—I felt something that I've never felt before. He scared me and he just took off, so I'm not even sure what I did to make him take off like that other than pull away."
"What did he look like?"
"I don't know, white guy…black hair…the bluest eyes I've ever seen…20's?" Bonnie shrugged her shoulders.
Sheila was quiet for a few moments, "Bonnie, something triggered you…"
"Triggered me? Grams, the guy didn't do anything to me. In fact, I think I spooked him a little," Bonnie stated shrugging.
"And the dreams and the levitating, you think that's normal?" Sheila raised an eyebrow.
"No, I don't but maybe I wasn't levitating and maybe I just dreamed that too. But I didn't dream Professor Owens tonight. I don't understand…" Bonnie ran her hands through her hair, "this is happening and I don't know why," she whispered.
"Bonnie, you came here because you know exactly what's happening and why. I've told you of the Bennett history for years and you thought it was just your old Grandma just talking, but I am serious and you need to listen to me," Sheila reached across the table and took Bonnie's hands, "we have a rich history as Bennetts that dates back to the early days of the Bayou, when we were actually known as Benoits," Sheila began and her face turned serious, "Bonnie, we are witches and we can do amazing things and because of that, beings that may not mean us good may seek us out for various reasons."
Bonnie immediately shook her head, coming to Sheila's house was a mistake. She refused to believe what Sheila was saying, "Grams, I can't explain what's been happening to me. But I am most definitely not a witch. I mean…they don't exist. I don't look like one and I'm way past the age that witches come into their powers, on tv…isn't it like 16 or something or when they lose their vir…look, I'm not a witch and we're not witches Grams…not real ones at least," Bonnie shook her head, standing up from her chair walking over to the sink placing her empty cup inside. She looked out of the window and immediately the sound of a chair scraping across the floor caused her to turn around, "Bonnie, have a seat," Sheila stated seated at the table with her fingers laced through each other. Bonnie gasped with wide eyes, "Grams…how did that chair get here?"
"Sit," Sheila ordered her.
Bonnie slowly sat down in the chair as Sheila flicked her wrist and the chair moved by itself back towards the table, "Grams," Bonnie breathed out.
"We're witches," Sheila stated again.
"I can't be a witch Grams, I don't feel like a witch," Bonnie whispered with a tear lingering in her eye. She protested, but she knew it was true.
"Bonnie, you levitated, you've had premonitions…you feel it…you know it..."
"I don't know what to think about this," Bonnie ran her hands through her hair, "Grams, a witch…witches are not supposed to be real."
"But we are Child," Sheila squeezed Bonnie's hand.
"I don't understand what this means…what I'm supposed to do."
"I will teach you, starting with our history. It goes back to New Orleans, the bayou and the Benoit family…" Sheila began.
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Stefan sat in his car outside of the boarding house. Finding Professor Owens dead body next to Bonnie definitely caused his night to end differently than he thought it would. After calling the cops, he waited for them to come and gave them whatever information he had—which wasn't much. He listened to them theorize that an animal must have mauled him and they needed to search for it. Stefan stood gritting his teeth. Oh it was an animal alright, one that needed to be put down.
He removed his phone from his jeans and looked at Bonnie's number. When he found her next to Professor Owens, she looked frightened (which was normal), but there was something else. She didn't look like it was a reaction of finding a dead body—it looked like something else, especially when she looked at him. The smell of the blood…he could taste it on his tongue and that caused him to react suddenly. She saw it. She saw his vampire face and she said nothing. Undoubtedly, she was trying to convince herself that she didn't see the veins or the red eyes. He pressed her phone number and listened to the rings until her voicemail kicked on, "Hi, this is Bonnie! I'm sorry I missed your call, leave a message and I'll get back to you."
He sighed before opening his mouth to leave a message, "Hey Bonnie, it's Stefan. I just wanted to check on you…make sure you're ok. Give me a call when you get this message, talk to you soon."
In the dark, Bonnie sat in the middle of her bed at Sheila's house with her phone in her hands. Her mind swam with Sheila's words…We're witches. The words crowded her mind in such a way that she wasn't sure that she could speak to anyone, let alone Stefan. She watched as the voicemail indicator showed up and she placed the phone on the nightstand softly.
Stefan slammed his car door and trudged towards the boarding house. He noticed Damon's Camaro parked in the driveway and he felt a rage come over him, that he hadn't felt in years. He walked up the stairs to the boarding house and pushed the door open. "Home so soon?" Damon drawled from the living room. There was no thought in Stefan's mind as he found himself, rushing into the living room, grabbing Damon and throwing him up against the wall, with a stake in his hand, "I could kill you," he snarled.
"Oh Stefan, did I upset your little date tonight?" Damon teased.
"You killed the professor?" Stefan stated through clenched teeth.
"What…I didn't kill anyone tonight!" Damon pushed him away, "and even if I did, why the hell would I care about a professor?"
"You were in the woods tonight, you bit that girl…"
"True, but that's all I did."
Stefan shook his head lowering the stake, "There's someone else here."
Damon blinked for a few moments and then it dawned on him, "So do you believe me now? Cristina is lurking and she must know about your interest in her clone," Damon moved closer to his brother.
"Cristina is dead," Stefan stated through clenched teeth.
"You sure about that Brother?" Damon asked before turning on his heels and leaving Stefan standing in the living room.
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"Now concentrate on making the feather fly," Sheila whispered as she and Bonnie sat in the middle of her living room. The sun was shone brightly through Sheila's jade curtains. Bonnie was awakened the next morning by Sheila calling her name and when she met her in the living room, there was a circle and Sheila gestured for Bonnie to meet her. It was weird and she felt like she was still in a daze, but after hearing what Sheila told her the night before, she had to accept that maybe her grandmother wasn't as crazy as she thought.
Bonnie looked down at the white feather between them, "Grams, I don't understand…"
"Bonnie, just concentrate," Sheila stated.
Bonnie gazed down at the feather. She blinked a few times and licked her lips, "Concentrate Bonnie," she whispered to herself. Fly you damn feather…fly, she thought to herself.
"You have to relax and just let it happen."
"But you want me to concentrate," she glanced up.
Sheila reached over and took Bonnie's hands in hers, "Make the feather fly."
Closing her eyes Bonnie concentrated, "Fly," she whispered and a warm feeling washed over her, like the sun's rays completed focused on her and she opened her eyes slowly to find the feather floating in front of them, "oh my god," she gasped, "it's flying."
"So it is," Sheila smiled.
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Following the events of Friday night, Bonnie stayed at Sheila's for the following week. Sheila brought out books and photo albums, the ones that she stated weren't burned a couple of years ago in a fire. They practiced simple spells and Sheila encouraged Bonnie to embrace what was happening to her. Bonnie was instead freaked out. A witch. Witches. Her Grams, her mother…Bonnie…all witches. Sure, she'd heard of wiccans, but to be an actual witch. Spell casting and premonition having witch? The very notion leveled her and she couldn't make sense of it.
Elena and Caroline had kept their distance. She figured they didn't know what quite to say since their roommate controlled the electricity with her mind and then it was the fact that they probably didn't believe what happened or didn't want to.
Then there was Stefan. He called her a few times over the past week, until she texted him and told him she was fine. She remembered seeing his face after finding Professor Owens, but the more she thought about it—maybe she was just seeing things. The veins on his face were unnatural. Their class had been cancelled due to Professor Owens' death, but the university found a substitute and she dreaded walking into Professor Owens' class now, but she had no choice. One thing Sheila reminded her was that she had to go about this normally. Although a gift, being a witch wasn't something to broadcast around town.
When she entered the classroom, there was an air of uneasiness surrounding it. She turned to the back of the lecture hall where Stefan sat looking through a book. She was still processing what she was and what it meant, but she needed to speak to him. She walked up the stairs slowly and took her seat next to him.
"Hi," she replied sitting down.
He looked up and gave her a half smile, "Hi."
She frowned, "Thank you for checking up on me and I'm sorry for not answering your calls, I just had a rough week. I spent some time with my grandmother…"
"I can imagine. Seeing someone like that," Stefan nodded understandably.
"Yeah…I'm shocked that they found a replacement so soon," Bonnie looked towards the front of the room.
"Yeah, it is kind of weird…it's only been two days. But if you want, we can talk more after class."
"Ok," Bonnie nodded slowly, "let's talk."
"Good Morning Class!" a man announced from the front of the classroom drawing the attention of the students, "I know this is a very unusual circumstance—but allow me to introduce myself…" everyone focused on the man with mahogany skin and chocolate eyes, "my name is Laurence Moore…" the man looked around and focused on one face in the back room before speaking with a slight smile, "and I will be your new professor for Introduction to Occult Studies."
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused.
Sweet Dreams-Eurythmics
Well…well…well…a new professor…friend or foe?