Quick note about Bonnie- her character will develop, you'll actually see it a little in this chapter. Just be patient ;)
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Facing the next day was harder than I expected.
Kol was still gone- though, that didn't really surprise me after the argument we'd had last night. I wouldn't be expecting to see him around for a another day, at the very least. My dad had been quiet and withdrawn ever since our confrontation last night in the attic, and nobody had called the house since yesterday morning. The silence that had suddenly engulfed my life was eeiry and I didn't like it one bit.
I had to force myself to get out of bed in the morning. Since I was the genius who had decided to start school on a Friday, the rest of the weekend stretched out before me- long and impossibly daunting. The temptation to stay buried under my duvet for the full duration of the two days wallowing was almost irresistible but, by the sheer force of will power, I managed to drag myself out of bed, bright and early, and get into the shower.
After all, I had an estranged grandmother to meet.
"And how weird is that?" I wondered out loud, squirting some coconut shampoo onto my head, "A grandmother that I never even knew about."
This was something that had me conflicted. Though it was my own fault that the whole thing had occurred, I was still feeling awful for how I had spoken to my father, as well as torn about whether or not I even wanted to meet this woman. After all, can you consider a stranger family? Genetics only stretch so far in my opinion, but my father had never explained why my grandmother had been absent throughout my life.
Anytime she or any mention of the rest of our family was brought up, he normally just made an excuse about how he had stuff to do and would disappear for hours on end. I gave up asking towards the end, figuring if they had wanted to get in contact, then they could have found a way if they had tried hard enough.
Once showered, I found myself wrapped in a towel, staring aimlessly into my closet.
It hit me all of a sudden that I really had no idea who I was.
This entire situation had knocked me for six. Kol was clearly hiding something from me, the new friends I had made seemed strange and I wasn't sure if they were completely trustworthy, I was having these weird flashbacks from my past that I couldn't figure out were real or not and I had a grandmother living in walking distance from my home whom I had never met before.
And then there was Damon.
Physically, there wasn't much I could remember about him apart from his eyes- and damn, what a pair of eyes they were. They had looked warm, curious and reminded me of melting ice. As far as looks went, it was a great first impression. Such a pity I was too busy playing damsel in distress to notice much more about him. The thought made me cringe- how embarrassing. The boy must think I'm a complete idiot.
Much more than this though, was the feeling I had gotten when we had touched; like a live wire of white hot electricity had just jumped through my entire body. It wasn't an entirely pleasant feeling to be on the receiving end of, but there had also been an overwhelming sense of familiarity that had overshadowed any sensations of pain. It wasn't the normal, 'Hey, have I seen you before?' kind of recognition, no. It felt more as though something in my body had recognized him, something in my being.
Now, look. I was aware of how crazy all of this sounded. Visions, tiger girls, imaginary bestfriends, electric feelings with some random boy with pretty eyes. The entire thing sounded like the local crazy department should have been banging down our door and dragging me out of the house, straight-jacket confined and doped up on pills.
There was something more to this though; I knew it. I felt like my whole life had been leading towards coming to this town and figuring out the answers to these questions and I'd be damned if I just let this go without at least trying to figure it out.
Sighing, I glanced at the clock and decided that it was early enough to pay a quick visit into town for some coffee before tracking down my grandmother. If there was one thing that could get me through this, it would hopefully be caffeine.
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The town was quiet, which suited me just fine as I wasn't really up to talking to people anyway.
Warm air and sunshine seemed to have healing properties behind it and I found myself beginning to unwind as I walked. Though the worries about Kol and the anxiety behind meeting my grandmother were still very much present, the good weather and pretty scenery proved to be an amazing distraction. This coffee hunt was a great idea.
The walk to the Grille was a quick one, making me appreciate small towns and their local conveniences. Living in the city had blessed me with many amazing experiences, but I much preferred the small town buzz and close-knit sense of community that came with Mystic Falls. Maybe this could be the place that we finally settled in. The thought made my chest feel warm.
"Bonnie!"
I glanced up, startled, and felt my cheeks fill with heat when I noticed Matt standing behind the bar beaming at me. His blues eyes were full of warmth as they appraised me and I noticed myself feeling oddly giddy as I stared at him. Was this what having a crush felt like? If so, I decided that I hoped it would be a feeling that would stay. It was a nice distraction from the normal disarray of emotions flowing through me.
"Hey Matt." I smiled, walking closer to the bar.
The place was oddly quiet for a Saturday and glancing around, I was surprised to see that there were only a few booths taken up. No sign of Elena or any of the others, which was a blessing in itself. Though they had all been very kind to me, the past day and a half had made me suspicious of everything that I'd encountered in this town.
"What can I do for you this fine day?"
Well, almost everything. Matt's smile was blinding and my head began to feel a little light. I really hoped fainting wasn't going to become a regular occurrence.
"Coffee please. As strong as you can make it." My voice wobbled. Dammit.
His smile got wider, if possible. "My type of girl. Maybe you city folk aren't so bad after all."
And then he winked. Winked.
The color of a tomato, I quickly hopped onto one of the bar stools before I collapsed and made a fool of myself. This boy was already too good looking for my own piece of mind- throw in a prince charming smile and that damn wink and my poor heart was running on over time. Flirting was not something I was accustomed to and this little exchange had me confused. How were you even supposed to react?
Choosing to opt for casual, I laughed nervously- sounding just as frazzled as I felt- and tried for a smile. "It's the only thing that gets me through the day."
And then something occurred to me.
"Wait. How do you even know I'm from the city?" Something that wasn't even true. Yes, I'd lived in the city- more often than not, I suppose- but not predominantly. Plus, I'd never even told anyone where I'd come from. My hackles rose.
Matt looked bashful. Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, he placed my coffee in from of me with the other.
"I asked around after meeting you. If there's one thing you should know about Mystic Falls, it's that everyone in it are nosy as hell. They were probably collecting bits and pieces of information and comparing notes from you first stepped into town."
His tone of voice was apologetic, but I was still stuck on the fact that he had asked around about me. My heart fluttered.
Taking a sip of coffee- very, very good coffee, might I add- I smiled and him and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Intrusive as it was, it was kind of endearing coming from him.
"Well, I'm not a city girl. I've lived in the city, yeah, but I've also lived in a ton of other places too."
His blue eyes looked interested. Cocking his head to one side, he grinned at me and began drying a glass.
"Oh yeah? That's pretty cool. I've lived in this town my entire life. You have no idea how boring it can get seeing the same places, the same faces every single day. You're the most interesting thing to happen in a long time."
I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. "Well, you know, I don't like to brag, but.."
The answering laugh I got from teasing him was well worth all of the previous embarrassment. He set the glass down and sent me a soft smile, leaning across the bar slightly. He was closer than I would normally be comfortable with but, right then, I really couldn't have cared less about personal space.
"I think I'm going to like having you around, Bonnie. You're a total breath of fresh air in this cage of a town." He winked again and I silently screamed at my hormones to chill the heck out, "Listen, on a Saturday night a bunch of us normally head down to the water hole to hang out and have a few beers. It probably sounds lame to someone as well traveled as yourself,"- he smirked sarcastically at this and I rolled my eyes, "But it could be fun. You should come, it'll give you a chance to meet more people from the town."
I continued to sip at my coffee, trying to play it cool. No matter what Matt might have thought, I'd never actually been to a 'party' before. The most adventurous I'd ever been was sitting around a camp fire with Kyler and a few of the boys we had made friends with back in my previous home, having a few beers. With everything going on, I knew that the least of my concerns should be a party, but it sounded like fun. It sounded familiar. And Matt was going to be there, which was always a good thing in my books. I suddenly found myself very eager to accept his offer.
"Well," I frowned, suddenly remembering that this was pit-stop for the day's main purpose, "I'm actually meeting my grandmother today for the first time and I'm not sure what time I'll be free. She lives local, but.." I grimaced, rolling my eyes, "We have sixteen years to catch up on, so it might take while."
Matt leaned back and I mourned the loss of his proximity. He smelt amazing.
"Huh, maybe you're not as mysterious as I thought, Bon. A local at heart." He laughed, "What's your grandmothers name?"
"Sheila Bennett. Looks like your hard on for the new girl and her apparent normality was short lived, Mutt. She's one of us."
Matt's face turned red with fury and I choked on my coffee. What the-
A body slid onto the stool next to me and I felt my heart stop when I looked up and found myself staring into the very same pair of eyes that had held my mind captive all morning.
Damon.
He flashed me what, on the surface, was a very charming smile, but had the hairs on the back of my neck standing. His blue eyes were narrowed slightly and he offered me a hand, all but daring me not to take it. Hesitantly, I reached out and placed my hand in his- and regretted it instantly.
Lighting shot up my arm and seemed to flow through my whole body, making me gasp in pain and drop Damon's hand as though it was on fire. His answering smirk was infuriating. He knew that was going to happen! I glared, instantly dislike flooding my brain.
"Damon Salvatore. It's nice to meet you, little bird."
"I would introduce myself, but apparently you seem to think you know everything there is to know about me." The venom in my voice surprised all three of us and I noticed Matt coughing to hide laughter. Damon, furious, glowered right back at me.
"My friend and I were having a conversation, which you rudely interrupted. I suggest you butt out and keep your stupid nicknames to yourself."
Where the hell was this coming from? It seemed that I had no control over myself when it came to this boy in front of me. Never in my life had I ever been this rude or felt such intense dislike towards a stranger. Judging by the look on Damon's face, he felt exactly the same way towards me.
"I don't think that's anyway to talk to the person who helped you out after your little episode in school the other day." He spat, eyes throwing sparks. His fist were clenched and he seemed to be having a hard time convincing himself not to throttle me.
He did have a point. If it wasn't for him, I probably would have been much worse off- well, maybe had a concussion anyway. But, still. I knew I should have been acting a lot more gracious than I was, I just couldn't help it. Something in my inner being had connected with him and was screaming at me to get away from him. I didn't blame it. This boy seemed like a grade A douche.
"I didn't ask you to do that! I also didn't ask you to come over here and act like I should be in awe of your presence and I certainly didn't ask you to antagonize my friend."
At this, Matt nodded. "She has a point, Damon. She really didn't ask you to do any of that, meaning she owes you nothing." He beamed, ignoring the death glare Damon sent in his direction, "You know where the door is."
Damon looked like he wanted to break the fingers that Matt was wiggling in his face, one by one.
Leaning closer to Matt, he narrowed his eyes and all but hissed at him. The lights in the Grille started to blink, only adding to Damon's menacing demeanor. I balked.
"You should know better than to speak to me like that, Mutt. Careful, or you might find yourself taking a permanent one way trip to visit your sister."
Matt went stiff and his face turned a deathly shade of white, then red. He looked pained and as though he wanted to pull Damon across the counter and start a good old fashioned bar fight, but instead his lips thinned and he went silent. My anger reached tipping point when he lowered his head in what could only be called submissiveness and went back to drying the glasses behind the bar.
Damon leaned back, looking smug. "Also, a bourbon when you have a moment. On the house, of course. Call it a payment for being so damn disrespectful."
That was it for me. I had grown up my whole life seeing bullies torment people to get their own way and I was not going to let Damon get away with treating someone who had been nothing but nice to me like this.
Anger burning in my veins, I smirked sardonically at Damon as he turned to me with a charming smile and, smiling widely in response, took my hot coffee and proceeded to dump the entire content of the cup onto his lap.
The entire restaurant went silent. Matt's eyes were wide and disbelieving as he watched Damon yelp and shout profanities, brushing frantically at his burning thighs. I, for the most part, felt no regret. Serve him right. Maybe next time he would think twice before treating people like his own personal minions.
Smiling at Matt, I retrieved a five note from my purse and lay it on the counter. "Thanks for the coffee, I'll see you tonight. Is nine okay?"
Still looking shell-shocked, Matt nodded silently. I smiled, waving my goodbye and glancing briefly at Damon with disinterest. He looked like he wanted to rip me into small pieces.
"You might want to get those pants dry-cleaned. They look expensive."
"You're going to regret that, Bennett."
"On the contrary, Damon." I winked at him, jumping off the bar stool and heading towards the exit, "I think that might be one of the few things in my life that I won't regret. Bye now."
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For all my bravado in The Grille, my heart was beating over-time as I walked through the streets of Mystic Falls.
What the hell had I just done? Damon did not seem like the type of person that you wanted as an enemy and I was pretty sure I had done just that. Great. Just add that to the mounting pile of crap that I didn't need going on in my life. I wasn't a religious person but, if there was a God, he was really starting to wear my patience thin.
Grimacing, I trudged through the streets and began my trek to Sheila Bennetts house. The warm breeze and sunshine was not quite as effective as it was before with my storm of a mood and, growling under my breath, I thought back to my interaction with Damon. What had he meant when he had told Matt I was, 'one of them'? And how the hell did he know more about my grandmother than I did? The boy was an enigma, one that I had absolutely no intentions of getting involved with. I had enough going on and, though I was admitting a little fascinated by the electric feeling that occurred when we touched and, well, just Damon himself, I attempted to push the entire thing to the back of my mind. Damon Salvatore was not my problem, and I wasn't about to make him one.
The house was closer than I expected it to be and, within ten minutes of walking, I found myself at the address that my father had given me.
It was a pretty little house, more of a cottage than anything else and was situated snuggly near the edge of a forest. Ivy twinned it's way up the cobbled brickwork and there was a pebble dashed path that I couldn't help find charming as I made my way towards the door, chest suddenly heavy with apprehension. A high pitched 'tweet' caught my attention once I reached my destination and I smiled despite myself, appreciating the little bird bath surrounded by tiny animals. This place looked like it had came straight from the pages of a Disney story. Surely the woman who lived here couldn't be a bad person?
Taking a deep breath, I raised my fist and knocked lightly on the door three times.
I'm not going to lie, at this point my anxiety was pretty much on overdrive. As a rule, I was generally a skeptical person. People didn't really play much of a part in my life, apart from Kol and my father, so it would be accurate to assume that my social skills were under the average when it came to their development. My heart was rocketing as I waited for the door to open, glancing around me for a quick escape route.
This was a bad idea.
Backing away from the door and throwing out a desperate thought of Kol to come and save me, I reasoned that this clearly just wasn't the time to meet the woman. What with all the stress of moving and everything I had found out about Damon..
"Bonnie?"
The shocked voice startled to me to my senses. Eyes snapping to the door way, I peered hesitantly at the small woman in front of me. She looked to be in her mid sixties, the same caramel skin and dark hair that had become familiar from my own reflection. It was her eyes though, that stopped me from sprinting from the house, not even thinking twice about looking back.
Emerald green. Startlingly bright. Brimming with tears. The exact shade of my mothers.
"Bonnie, baby? Is that you?" Her voice broke and she glanced around her garden, possibly assuming that someone was playing a prank on her. Not a totally crazy notion, considering that this town seemed down right surreal from what I'd gathered so far.
I stared dumbly, at a loss for words. Nodded. Felt apprehension settled even deeper into my bones and willed myself to stay routed in the same spot.
"Uh, Sheila?" Even to my own ears I sounded lame.
The woman let out a small gasp, going from shocked to stern in an instant.
"That's Grams to you, young lady. What kind of manners has that daddy of yours been teaching you all these years?" Her tone of voice made me blush and, chagrined, I stuttered out an apology and shuffled my feet. No point in getting into my fathers lack of morals as of late, I'm sure she'd come to discover that on her own eventually.
Her eyes seemed to soften at my obvious discomfort and, throwing another fleeting glance towards the outside, she opened the door and stepped back to invite me in.
Still hesitant, I stared in silence. If I was being completely honest- awkwardness aside- thing which had been happening lately had started to make me a little less trusting of people. This woman was my grandmother, yes, but I didn't know her from Adam.
That being said, I had questions and all of the leads I'd had so far pointed to this woman giving me the answers.
"Come on in child. If you've found me, I'm thinking that you must have many questions." Her eyes conveyed knowledge.
I sighed. Sometime's it sucked always being right.
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Unknown to Bonnie, another individual was in just as bad of a mood as she at the other side of town.
Eyes dark, blood pumping furiously through his veins, Damon grit his teeth as he dialled a number into his cell phone.
"Katherine? Yeah, about your plan. Forget what I said before, we'll go through with it. This little witch messed with the wrong person."
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A/N:
It's been awhile! Sorry about the lack of updates, but I'm in my last year of college and deadlines have been kicking my ass.
Anyway, this is the last kind of 'calm before the storm' chapter. The next chapter will be centered around Bonnie finding out about her family history and her first ever Mystic Falls party, so it will be getting interesting pretty quickly.
I'm extremely upset about there only being two episodes of TVD left, so I thought I may aswell channel that and try for an update.
Thoughts on the Bonnie and Matt scene? And what do we think of Damon so far?
Let me know in a review!
-Lolitaxo