A/N: since ffnet won't let me do tags, I'm gonna manually copy-paste them here: "Southern Gothic, Blood and Gore, Gone With the Wind References, Jordan Peele Horror, Race, All Human, Season 1, Confederate Insignia, Racism, BooKai 2022"
this was supposed to be posted around boo-kai 2022, but it sort of got away from me. i cannot even begin to sum up what you're about to read...you'll just have to trust me lol
(i also totally get it if you are turned off by the summary and tags and will not mind if you skip this one)
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Founders' Day was Bonnie's least favorite day of the year.
One time in seventh grade, their English teacher had asked them to write a small essay about a "bad" day in their life and connect it to a "bad" day in world history. Something about gaining perspective and realizing one's problems are small.
Ninety percent of the kids in her class wrote about 9/11, which was not only topical, but probably expected of them at the time. Bonnie wrote about the day her mom left Mystic Falls, which also happened to be Founders' Day.
There were many reasons to hate Founders' Day, quite a few of them having to do with its extremely racist history which got celebrated with much fanfare every year, but Bonnie resented it most for having chased her mother out of town.
Rationally speaking, Bonnie knew that Founders' Day – and all the "Southern pride" celebrations Mystic Falls upheld religiously – hadn't really influenced Abby's decision to leave, but it couldn't have helped.
This was a hate Bonnie clung to fiercely. She fed it yearly with her anger and resentment, like a favorite pet.
She didn't really vent to anyone outside her family about it. Caroline and Elena always looked uncomfortable when certain topics related to "their traditions" came up. Incidentally, she'd gotten a C on that paper. Message received.
Every year when Founders' Day came round, Bonnie plastered a big, empty smile on her face and waved at the parade of Confederate Soldiers with the other people in the crowd. Then she sat through the obligatory viewing of Gone with the Wind, quietly seething, and pretended to "never get tired of it" as she watched Caroline weep and Elena sigh into Matt's shoulder. The last two years she'd slipped in her earbuds and listened to Missy Elliott while Scarlet flounced around in her white poodle skirts. It was something to do.
She'd managed to survive these stupid town events for over sixteen years. She just needed to hold out a little longer until she could leave for college.
The problem was, Bonnie was a good friend.
Which is why she was currently posing on top of a parade float in an itchy antebellum gown with Matt Donovan dressed as a Confederate officer standing behind her with his hands on her waist.
Oh, and she also had to smile for the camera.
If Grams could see her right now she'd be rolling in her grave. Scratch that, she'd come out of that grave to give her a talking and drag her back home.
In retrospect, she could've put her foot down. She didn't have to give in so easily. It was her dad, back from a business trip, who impressed upon her the importance of her voluntary participation. It would be a "highly progressive" move for Mystic Falls to have a young, black woman embody Southern beauty and grace. Not to mention, it would do wonders for his hopes of entering public office. Didn't Bonnie want Mystic Falls to have it first black mayor?
Even without her father pressuring her, the sight of a hysterical and flu-ridden Caroline Forbes would have certainly scared her into acceptance. As the official Miss Mystic Falls, Caroline was supposed to be up here with the other debutantes, leading the parade, but a bad stomach bug had put paid to that dream. Elena was still mourning her parents and couldn't be asked to perform for the crowds, and if Caroline couldn't come up with a "replacement" for her spot, she might lose the title she had worked for so hard.
Bonnie had tried to bring up other candidates, but Caroline didn't trust any of the other girls not to mess it up or steal her spotlight.
Bonnie, on the other hand, was dependable. She was loyal and sweet. She wouldn't steal anyone's spotlight. She couldn't.
It stung the more she thought about it.
That's why she tried not to think about it as she fixed one of her curls. She had to yank it from under the stupid Miss Mystic Falls sash which lay across her shoulder.
She felt like a tiered wedding cake. All those ribbons and lace trimmings were going to give her a skin rash. The actual corset she was wearing – Caroline had been very strict about "period immersion" – had been strapped too tight. Matt's hands on her waist didn't help.
"How are you hanging in there, Bon?" he asked as the parade reached the center of town. The crowds, as usual, were large and boisterous. Everyone's parent and grandma had shown up; some people were waving little Confederate flags. It made her stomach churn.
The May sun beat mercilessly on her bare shoulders. She was too warm in this itchy dress, and it was only going to get hotter.
"I'm good. Just hope I don't have a fainting spell," she mumbled, trying to pull out her small, ornate fan. "It's so hot."
"You can't faint on me. Caroline would kill us both," he said, only half-joking.
"Actually, that would probably be period accurate," she replied, fanning herself slowly.
Matt adjusted the lapels of his uniform. "You fainting or Caroline killing us?"
Bonnie smiled up at him. She liked Matt. He was a good guy. He had treated Elena well, and he was a good boyfriend to Caroline too. Sure, the situation between her two friends was a little awkward, but it couldn't be helped.
Still, having to look at his Confederate uniform all day was going to be a chore.
"Let's just get through this," she muttered, glancing at the other beaming couples on the float.
Matt put his hand on her arm. "Pretty good turn out this year. It's nice that people still care, you know?"
Bonnie stiffened a little under his hold. "Mhm."
"Like yeah, it's stuffy and outdated, but it's also kind of sweet that we all gather to do it every year. You know, my mom was parade queen back in the day."
"Was she," Bonnie muttered coolly.
"Oh, I think we should wave at the crowd," he reminded her with a chuckle. "Caroline's spies will be watching."
Bonnie smiled emptily and waved her arm. She didn't really want to find any familiar face in the crowd. She didn't want to see her father either. He'd probably give her a big thumbs up. After all, she was doing her part for his future campaign. Bonnie's stomach churned again. She just wanted to get out of the sun.
Halfway down the street, the float stopped for photos and for the march of the Confederate soldiers. Each squadron had to pass by the float and salute their commanding officers.
Bonnie's job was to curtsey. It was part of the ceremony. She'd had to practice with the other girls.
She wondered if she could get away with just a small bow. She really didn't want to fucking curtsey to these boys.
Half the male population was parading in front of her in their Confederate paraphernalia. Bonnie only bent the knee.
Matt nudged her. "You have to bow a bit lower, Bon."
Bonnie gritted her teeth. She clutched her crinoline and lowered herself in a proper curtsey.
From this vantage point, her classmates could get a good look at her "heaving bosom".
But the only one who stared openly at her breasts was a lanky, dark-haired kid she hadn't seen before. His cap was askew, his coat unbuttoned.
He was outright leering.
When Bonnie caught his eye, he winked at her and tipped his cap.
Bonnie felt a strange flutter in her belly.
Matt helped her up stand up again. He was frowning. "Don't worry, Bon. That kid won't be bothering you. He'll get what's coming to him soon."
Bonnie pulled a few curls from her neck. She was beginning to sweat. "What do you mean?"
"He's new, so the boys are gonna haze the shit out of him," Matt said good-humoredly, clearly looking forward to the prospect. It was another one of those 'heart-warming' traditions.
"I haven't seen him around," she mumbled, for something to say.
"Yeah, he transferred a few weeks ago. He's the new pastor's son. He's in some of Jeremy's classes."
"Oh. Then maybe you guys should go easy on him," she said. "Maybe he's friends with Jeremy."
"I doubt it. Jer's a good kid. This guy's been hanging out with the cokeheads."
Bonnie winced. She could've brought up the fact that both Jeremy and his sister, Vicky, were often seeing hanging out with the "wrong" crowd behind the dumpsters, but she didn't want to get in an argument with him.
Besides, she had another fucking curtsey coming.
The battle re-enactment was the easy part for her. It would take the better part of the day and all Bonnie had to do was play nurse by the hospital tents. Afterwards, she had to walk to church with the rest of the congregation and join in the singing for the fallen soldiers. Most of the elderly attended the full service, but the young were let out early to catch a parking spot at the drive-in for the Gone with the Wind screening.
Technically speaking, the Confederates were supposed to lose, but every year, the few boys who got to play Union soldiers were roughed up or chased beyond the town limit, which is why they'd stopped giving out Union uniforms altogether. Now it was just the Confederates pretending to shoot blanks at the invisible enemy and, occasionally, at each other. The theater department provided little sacks of corn syrup for the blood. Towards evening, you could see the boys coming out of the woods, slathered in red.
Then there was the hazing. The younger boys had to watch out.
Principal Weber and Coach Tanner were supposed to keep order. The police was there too, as back-up. But they all believed in letting "boys be boys". It was tradition.
Bonnie wouldn't have wanted to be in those woods.
She stood in the shade of the tent, happy to be out of the sun.
She was wearing a white apron over her gown and a small nurse's cap that kept falling off her head and she felt as ineffectual as she looked.
From time to time, some of the soldiers stopped by for refreshments and "wound dressing", which consisted of rubbing their various scrapes with alcohol and pasting butterfly bandaids over them. As first-aid kits went, they were probably more rudimentary than what they had back in the 1860s.
Bonnie didn't care. She was already clocked out. She took out her phone and started scrolling.
"Hey, you're not supposed to break character."
Elena walked up to her with a smile. Bonnie envied her comfy jeans and blouse.
She put her phone aside. The two girls hugged briefly.
"You look like a true Southern belle," Elena complimented, trying to fix the nurse's cap on her head.
Bonnie swatted her hand away. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"You and Matt were great up there. You almost made it look fun."
Bonnie snorted. "Care to swap places, then?"
Elena laughed. "God no. This is your cross to bear, Bennett."
Bonnie smiled faintly. She knew it was just a saying, but still. The words made her uncomfortable.
Stefan Salvatore waved at them from across the meadow, carrying his firearm over his shoulder. He looked as if he'd just walked off the set of Legends of the Fall.
Elena blushed. "I'm gonna go say hi to him."
Bonnie wondered if the boys would haze him too. Technically, he was also new; he'd only transferred last semester. But Bonnie doubted they'd do anything to him. He had already become part of the popular crowd and was on the football team. His family apparently went back generations in this town. He was practically local.
Caroline had had the biggest crush on him when he showed up, not only because he was rich and pedigreed but because he was new and mysterious. But the quiet boy had only had eyes for Elena, which is why Caroline had taken Matt instead.
It was kind of messy, all things considered. Bonnie tried to stay out of it, for the most part.
It's true, she sometimes wished there was more exciting drama in her life. She wished the boys paid attention to her too. But her Grams had often reminded her that wishing was dangerous. Because you might just get what you want.
Bonnie wiped sweat from her eyes.
She was trying to hold the lemonade jug without spilling any of it on the ground, but it was heavy and the paper cups were small.
The soldiers were expecting their lemonade, though. The first break in the fighting was coming up and they'd rush over here to get refreshments.
Every nurse had her own stand. But none of the other girls were helping her.
"Here, let me get that."
The sunny voice startled her. A hand covered hers, removing her fingers, and taking the jug from her.
The first thing she saw was his teeth, all white and sharp, like a toothpaste commercial. The new kid grinned at her as he poured the lemonade into the cups without even looking. Then, when there was still a good half left, he tipped the jug back and poured the sugary liquid into his mouth messily. He guzzled it down to the last drop.
Bonnie watched his throat work, mesmerized.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Cute apron."
Bonnie flushed with embarrassment. She wiped her hands on it. "It's not."
"Yeah, it's kind of stupid, but you make it work," he added, handing her the empty jug. "Oops. I drank all your lemonade."
Bonnie didn't know what to make of him. She smiled uneasily. "I've got two more jugs in the mini fridge."
The boy didn't even wait for her to finish. He marched into the tent. He opened the mini fridge and grabbed both jugs.
Then he went back to her stand and helped her pour the lemonade.
He did all this with the utmost ease, even though he was lugging a heavy-looking haversack and a firearm across his chest. The steel edge of the bayonet winked in the sun. It almost looked real, but Bonnie knew it had to be some kind of plastic. All the weapons used in the event were proofed by the school and the police department.
"Um, thanks…you really didn't have to."
The boy looked up at her with the same wolfish grin. "Southern hospitality goes a long way, I hear."
"But you're not really from around here, are you?"
He straightened up and removed his cap. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Nope. Moved here recently, and I'm really glad I did. You guys sure know how to put on a show. Portland was pretty dull, in comparison."
Bonnie winced. She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
"Yeah, I know it can be a little much…"
The new boy gave her a once-over, lingering on her cleavage again. "Well, with a nurse like you, I'm sure the soldiers look forward to getting shot."
It was a really corny line, but it made her blush.
Bonnie stammered slightly. "Actually, this is my first time taking part too. Before, I just watched."
"I know what that's like. But sometimes it's good to join in. Good to be a part of something," he said, tapping the butt of his firearm with a faraway smile. Then he offered his hand. "I'm Malachai. Kai, for short."
"Bonnie," she said, wondering at the strange name, but then she remembered his father was the new pastor.
She put her hand in his to shake, but Kai lifted it to his mouth and gave it a quick, warm kiss. A small shiver made the sweat on her back grow chill.
"We gotta stay in character, I hear," he said, lowering her hand with a wink.
He tipped his cap to her. "I'll be seeing you around, Bonnie."
He was about to walk away, when she grabbed his elbow suddenly.
Amazed at her own boldness, she dropped her hand and rushed through the words.
"I just – I just wanted to warn you, some of the guys are planning to haze you, because you're new. It's a stupid tradition. So be careful. Or maybe …maybe stay hidden until sundown. They'll eventually tire themselves out."
Kai stared down at her with something like surprise. Then his mouth curled into a dimpled smirk. "Very kind of you to let me know, Bonnie. I'll be watching out for them."
She nodded with a small smile. "Good."
"Or maybe I'll go after them first," he added, swinging his firearm off his shoulder playfully. "They say the best defense is a good offense."
There was a strange, hungry gleam in his eyes. He was sizing her up again. It was a little unsettling because…because none of the boys her age ever looked at girls like that. She couldn't describe it, but it was a shameless, naked stare. More like a man's than a boy's. But not even men could meet your eye like that, sometimes.
Bonnie bit her lip. "I wouldn't risk it. The boys can be pretty rough."
"We'll see about that. But if I do get wounded in the line of duty, I'll be sure to stop by your tent." Kai placed his hand on his chest and gave a small bow. She almost felt like curtsying herself.
Bonnie watched him lumber across the meadow with his gun. He looked so boyish, yet ageless too, as if he'd just returned from 1861.
Barbecue smoke made her eyes water. Bonnie coughed and moved away from the platters, but not before stealing a piece of chicken skewers, honeyed and buttered.
She was starving, but she was not supposed to dig into the food yet. It was for the soldiers.
Besides, it wasn't ladylike.
Bonnie licked her fingers guiltily.
She stared into the distance. She could hear strange calls across the meadow, like the yawps of some feral animal. She could hear whoops and laughter too. The boys were having fun. Once in a while she could see a Confederate running or ducking. There were shots coming from the woods, dim but resonant. White smoke curled over the tree tops. Only the seniors got to fire blanks. The rest of them had to use their bayonets. Or their fists, if push came to shove.
Bonnie wondered if Kai was doing all right.
She was only half-worried. He seemed oddly self-sufficient. All the same, she hoped the boys would go easy on him.
But she didn't have to wait long to see him again. There were figures coming out of the woods. One of them lurched across the meadow towards her tent.
Her heart jumped at the sight of him. Kai was limping a little. He was splattered in fake blood, or what she hoped was fake blood. His face was slightly bruised and smudged with dirt, but his eyes were lit with mischief. His mouth stretched into a wide, white grin as he got closer.
"I told you I'd stop by your tent again."
Bonnie opened the flap, ushering him inside.
"Are you hurt?" she asked, drawing up a folding chair for him to sit.
Her fingers shook a little as she opened the first-aid kit.
Kai leaned back carelessly, wiping the side of his face. "Nah, just a few scrapes. I've gotten worse injuries in gym, to be honest."
"What about the blood?" she asked, soaking a ball of cotton in alcohol.
He chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not mine."
Bonnie looked down at him. That wasn't the answer she had expected. It was all fake, wasn't it?
She took a step closer and started to clean his face. She rested her fingers on the side of his jaw for a moment.
Kai bent his head, leaning into her touch, rubbing up against her like an alley cat. Bonnie should have removed her hand, but his skin seemed to thrum under her touch. She wanted to feel more.
One of his hands was playing with the hem of her apron. She could feel it snake under the apron.
Butterflies swarmed in her belly.
She almost jumped when she heard shots outside. She'd forgotten where they were and what they were doing.
Bonnie dropped her hand and stepped back.
Kai slowly got up from the chair. "Better get back out there before I miss all the action."
Are you sure? she wanted to ask. She almost hoped he'd stay here with her, away from the fighting. God, she really was turning into a Southern belle from a period movie.
Kai noticed her long face.
"Don't worry, Bonnie. If it all goes well, I'll bring you back a souvenir."
She wondered what he meant by that.
Kai lifted the tent flap and walked out, whistling.
Bonnie listened to it until it turned into a faint warble.
She stared down at her hand which was red and sticky. She lifted the fingers to her lips and she gave a tentative lick.
It did not taste like corn syrup. It tasted tart and metallic. It tasted like actual blood.
The heat had broken a little with the advent of clouds, dark white and puffy, crossing the sky. Bonnie wondered if it was going to rain. It was getting on towards evening now. The woods were filled with rowdy shouts and cries. One of the older men passing by the tents told them with a chuckle that the boys were rounding up the "traitors" and "turncoats". Every year there had to be a brawl at the end. The boys were just acting out a little. It was all in good fun.
Bonnie kept biting her thumb as she stared at the darkening woods. Spires of smoke still rose in the air like cobwebs.
Something felt wrong. She couldn't get the taste of blood out of her mouth. She could still hear his whistling too. Kai was going to get himself hurt badly.
One of the other belles shook her shoulder. Her name - Ashley - was written in cursive on her apron. "Hey, Bonnie? We should probably start packing. Everyone is getting ready to leave for church."
"Um, actually, I'm gonna wait out here a bit longer, but you go."
"You can't do that. You're Miss Mystic Falls. You have to lead the party to church."
Bonnie cursed under her breath. "Caroline is Miss Mystic Falls. I'm just standing in for her."
"Still, that makes you parade queen, so you have to –"
Bonnie removed her sash impatiently. "You wear it, then. Lead the party to church. I'll join you a bit later."
Ashley's eyes widened. "Caroline's gonna freak. But okay. I'll tell her it was your idea."
Bonnie knew she was going to get hell for it later. Ashley looked a little too eager to put the sash on.
But this didn't feel like a pageant anymore. It never really did, if she was being honest.
She couldn't abandon her post yet. But she couldn't stand still either. She waited for the other girls to walk away from the tents. Then she picked up the sharp barbecue tongs and started walking towards the woods.
She knew it was stupid. Really, really stupid.
But she just had to know if he was okay.
Traipsing across the tangled forest floor in a period gown was absolute hell. She couldn't run because of the crinoline and the long skirts kept getting in the way. The corset was also digging into her flesh and making it hard to breathe.
At least she wasn't getting shot at, because she was recognizably female. She'd heard some boys howling in the distance, but she wasn't sure if they'd been howling at her. She didn't know how they'd react to her.
The light was fading. She kept hearing movement in the foliage without seeing bodies. The cries and shouts that reached her sounded muffled, as if coming from someplace underground. They sounded like someone in pain.
Bonnie shuddered. She should turn back. There was no point in putting herself in danger. The boys needed to act out their rage. She absolutely did not need to be in the middle of that. If something had happened to Kai, well…
Her ears pricked up.
She thought she heard Jeremy's voice. He was shouting at someone.
Bonnie felt somewhat relieved. Jeremy was not the violent type. Well, not as violent as the rest of them. She started walking towards the sound of his voice.
It wasn't too far. Her gown snagged in the brambles, which was why when she pushed past the branches, she was more preoccupied with her torn hem.
"Bonnie, get out of here!"
Bonnie whirled around and nearly stumbled. Jeremy was standing on top of someone, trying to pin them to the ground. He was also brutally driving his fists into their gut. Bonnie heard a choked laugh.
She stifled a gasp. It was Kai.
"Jeremy, get off him!"
Jeremy swung his fist again. "Stay away, Bonnie!"
She came at him with the tongs. She hit his back with them. "You're going to kill him, get off!"
"Stay away!" Jeremy cried again and this time, Bonnie hit his head.
It wasn't a hard blow, but it was enough for Jeremy to groan and fall to the side. It was also enough for Kai to worm his way from under him. He elbowed Jeremy in the throat. Then he looked up at Bonnie with almost worshipful blue eyes.
"My guardian angel. Can I borrow that for a second?"
He took the tongs from her limp hand.
Before she knew what was happening, Kai drove the sharp metal blades into Jeremy's stomach, twisting them savagely. There was no break in his movements, no pause. It was smooth and almost silent, the way he skewered Jeremy. The boy didn't even scream. His mouth filled up with blood. He was choking on it.
Bonnie's throat filled up too. She could almost taste it.
She turned away, grasping blindly at a tree trunk.
She was going to be sick. No, this wasn't happening, it wasn't happening, Elena's brother…he'd always been nice to her...she'd even had a crush on him once…now he was …he couldn't be…
"You can look now, Bonnie. He's dead."
She shut her eyes, counting back from ten.
She heard Kai give a low chuckle. "I agree. He's not the most becoming sight."
Bonnie moved her head slightly, glancing at him over her shoulder.
He was standing next to Jeremy's still warm body. Steam rose from the dead boy's open belly. Blood trickled into the underbrush with the whisper of a hot spring.
"I was gonna bring you his seal ring as souvenir," Kai said, crouching down, picking up Jeremy's hand. "But it's all bloody now."
Bonnie remembered that seal ring. It had been passed down in the Gilbert family for generations. Elena's deceased father had worn it once. She felt more bile rise in her throat.
"He's – he was my – my best friend's brother," Bonnie stammered, fighting for breath.
Kai lifted his hands in a 'what can you do' gesture. "Sorry. I wasn't going to let him beat me up."
"You didn't have to kill him."
"Yeah, well, he didn't have to take part in this hillbilly spree. I mean, what do these people expect when they let teenage boys run around with fake guns?" There was a querulous edge to his otherwise friendly tone.
Bonnie wanted in that moment to hear those teenage boys whooping and shouting in their vicinity, just to know they were still alive, but this part of the forest was eerily quiet. And then her eyes glided over the tangled undergrowth and saw in the decaying light two white specks in the grass. Oval-shaped, open-mouthed.
This time Bonnie did scream, but it was a strange, delayed scream, like something shoved into her throat, muffling the sound.
Kai followed her eyes.
"Ah. Those two. Serves me right for trying to tackle three guys at once. I got a little too greedy. Lucky you were here, Bon."
The abridgment of her name felt like a slap. It made her feel complicit. She realized now Jeremy had been trying to stop him. She shook her head. "Don't – don't call me that."
Kai blew raspberries at her. "Oh come on, don't tell me you feel bad for these proud Confederate boys."
Bonnie clenched her jaw. There was a part of her – the same part that had written that essay in the seventh grade – that was looking at all this bloodshed and thinking about it coldly. Clinically.
She remembered all those other Founders' Days, all those endless and obscene parades, all those wild nights when her Grams kept her indoors, all those young boys screaming victory in the streets, the Old South rising again, spectral and undefeated. She remembered feeling scared and small and helpless.
She remembered it all because it never really left her.
The anger and resentment always bubbled near the surface.
Bonnie shook her head, trying to disperse the memories. "You tricked me. You lied to me."
"I didn't lie. I told you I'd go after them before they went after me."
"No, I thought you were different. I thought you were…"
"A good guy? I don't know. I've seen what passes for good in this town and" - he gave a short whistle - "I gotta say, I'm not impressed."
Bonnie wiped the wetness from her eyelashes. She wasn't sure if she was crying out of fear or sadness.
He wasn't wrong, and this made her feel worse.
"How – how many have you killed so far?"
Kai tapped his bloodied chin. "Ten or eleven. I lost count at one point. These piggies all look the same to me."
Bonnie flinched. In the distance she could hear a few scattered cries and the wind blowing through the May leaves. She could also hear a dark laugh in the heart of it all, but it wasn't coming from him.
She hugged her bare arms. "Why? Why did you do this?"
Kai cocked his head, considering her question. His eyes danced with a dark light.
"I've always wanted to go on a rampage," he began, like sharing a harmless tidbit about himself, "but I just never found the right venue. Dad kept moving us across the country, trying to get ahead of those "sexual misconduct" allegations. But when I saw you guys were actually throwing a Confederate parade, I knew I'd hit jackpot."
Bonnie didn't know how to respond. All she could think to say was, "I'm sorry about your dad."
For a moment, his eyes turned lusterless and inward. As if a light had been switched off.
His voice dropped a few octaves. "Don't be. He'll get what's coming to him too. We all do."
Bonnie shivered. "It's not up to you."
"Then who?"
The question felt incomplete, yet true. Then who is it up to?
She didn't have an answer. She knew it wasn't God.
The tongs were lying a few feet away from her. They still had the trace of viscera on them.
Bonnie balled her fists. She acted on instinct. She made a lunge for them, but Kai was faster. He grabbed them before she could close the distance between them.
Bonnie froze like a deer in the headlights. She watched him hang the tongs against the straps of his haversack.
Kai gave her a wicked grin. "Naughty girl. What were you planning to do with that? Kill me?"
She shook her head. "N-no. Just h-hit you hard enough to take you out."
He barked out a laugh. "You know, you're really goddamn cute, Bonnie."
And he looked at her like she was a hot meal after a hard day's work. He didn't intend to let it cool.
Bonnie finally snapped out of it.
She grabbed her skirts and made a run for it.
It was still impossible to run in a hooped skirt. And she was still having trouble with her corset. She couldn't reach the back to unlace it. Her lungs were on fire. The bare soles of her feet throbbed with small cuts as she trod over thorns and thistle. She'd lost her shoes somewhere along the way.
Her best bet was to hide until she could get out of the woods. But she'd have to undress for that, because the giant gown was like a target on her back.
Kai wasn't running. He was following her at a leisurely pace. He was teasing her, like a hunter who knows he'll eventually corner his prey.
He kept calling out her name in a sing-song voice, giving it different cadences. "Bon-nie! Bo-nnie! B-o-nnie!"
The singing vowels danced across her skin, raising goose bumps.
"Slow down, Bon Bon. I just wanna talk!"
Bonnie knew she couldn't keep going. She hid behind a giant oak and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath.
She still heard him calling from afar. He seemed to be going in the opposite direction.
Bonnie checked the path behind the tree. There was a clearing further on, then another tangled row of trees, then the thin edge of the forest. She could see it…she could even see beyond it...if she could just cross that clearing…
She gathered her skirts and ran down the path - straight into his arms.
He'd jumped out from the dark. There'd been nothing there before.
"Gotcha."
Bonnie stared into his grinning face and gave a small, angry shriek. She planted her fists in his chest, trying to push him off, but the more she tried to get away, the faster Kai held her. She struggled against his hold with all the energy she had left, but he pinned her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
Bonnie could feel cold steel pressing against the small of her back. She gave a frightened whimper. She didn't want to die like this. She clutched at his arms, not knowing if she was fighting him off or begging for her life.
She sucked in a breath and shut her eyes as she felt the blade tear through her dress.
And then – and then she released that breath.
It was so easy to breathe now. Her chest felt lighter, her waist loosened. The pressure in her lungs wasn't there anymore.
He'd cut through her corset.
Kai rested his chin against the hollow of her throat. He rubbed his nose into her cheek. He inhaled her scent. She could smell him too. Guts and blood and peppermint gum.
Bonnie shivered.
"There, doesn't that feel better?" he asked.
Bonnie's chest rose and fell as she inhaled air greedily. Something cold tapped her chin. She looked down. The barrel of the gun rested between her breasts and the bayonet's steel traced the sweat-stained softness of her throat.
"Doesn't it?" he asked again, nuzzling her cheek.
Bonnie swallowed and nodded warily, turning her head to look at him, but she could only see the white of one eye, stark against the dark.
"See, I make you feel good," he murmured into her throat, closing his lips over her pulse.
Bonnie didn't feel good. Or at least, she didn't want to feel good.
But she didn't have much experience with this feeling. She didn't know what to do with someone wanting her like this. The sudden heat that flared inside her had little to do with the exertions of the day. It was her body betraying her, abandoning reason, leaning into him and accepting the embrace of his arms. Maybe she was simply too shocked and exhausted to oppose him, or maybe she was using that as an excuse. But what excuse could there be for the way she was craning her neck, letting him lick and kiss her further? There was no accounting for the way she arched against him, or the way she let herself be poured straight into his mouth.
All the while, there was the kiss of steel too, right under her chin, making her belly clench foolishly.
It didn't seem to matter what he'd done tonight, just what he was doing right now.
His fingers gripped her chin, angling her head towards him, trying to catch her mouth with his, when they both heard the loud cry coming from behind them.
"Where's Parker?" someone was shouting. They sounded panicked. "Where is that fucking kid?"
Kai let out a small growl of annoyance. He squeezed Bonnie's jaw. "Afraid we have to cut this short. I'm wanted by an idiot with a death wish. But we'll pick this up later, won't we?"
Bonnie gulped. She felt his arms loosen around her. She tried to take a step away from him, but he reeled her back in, fingers digging into her waist. He pressed his lips to her ear. "Meet me at the drive-in later. Don't make me find you instead."
The threat was clear as day, but there was something playful in it too. Almost like he was looking forward to the chase, in case she disobeyed.
The first thing she did when she was free of him was to undress in the bushes.
She stepped out of the stiff crinoline and let the corset fall on the ground. Then she pulled the loose gown over her body again, buttoning herself with shaking fingers. The garment was stained with blood. There were blood prints too where his fingers had held her. If she showed up in town looking like this, the people wouldn't think she was in trouble. They'd think she'd been getting handsy with one of the soldiers. Having a good time.
But she could run now, so she did.
She reached the edge of the woods and ran up the street, back towards the town square.
There weren't many people around, given that they knew how rowdy the boys got at night. The streets were filled with discarded parade spangles and flags. She saw a couple of Confederate soldiers chasing each other, laughing, seemingly unaware of what was going on in the woods. She tried calling out to them, but they ignored her. She thought she saw Stefan in the distance, and though she was relieved he was still alive, she felt unable to confront him. She veered quickly into an alley.
Bonnie knew she had to find an adult and quick. News of the killings hadn't spread yet. It was likely that anyone running into those corpses in the woods would think it was just a bit of play-acting. Or maybe they'd think the boys had knocked themselves out.
Kai's words came back to her. What do these people expect when they let teenage boys run around with fake guns?
Bonnie pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes to shut out his voice. She needed to get to the church. That's where she'd find the people who could help her.
She heard the song before she saw the singers. The service hadn't ended yet, but it had spilled outside on the front lawn. A small bonfire trembled against the night sky and the few parishioners who hadn't left for the drive-in were singing round it, raising glasses filled with liquor. She spotted Caroline's mom, the sheriff, her Deputy Adams, Mrs. Lockwood, the current Madam Mayor, Principal Weber and Coach Tanner among the singers. There were other familiar faces too, all pillars of Mystic Falls. Old Founding Families.
Bonnie stood in the middle of the street, listening to the song.
Yeah, the south's gonna rattle again
The south's gonna rattle again
We got some big old silver eagles
And we're flyin' all over this land
And you can bet or brag on that rebel flag
You can damn well count me in
The ground's gonna shake like a big rattle snake
And the south's gonna rattle again
Yeah, we're gonna shake and rattle again
The singers cheered and whooped tipsily, the men lifting their arms and puffing up their chests in promise of future glory. Bonnie could only stare.
One of the older women in the audience was Mrs. Baker, her next-door neighbor.
Mrs. Baker had always made much of Bonnie when she was little, calling her pretty and sweet every time she came to visit. She always made a point to tell her what a good and well-behaved child the Bennetts had raised.
"You're not like those black girls on TV," she'd said, "slutty and uppity, every last one of them, not showing any damn respect to anyone. Don't you ever look up to them, Bonnie. You're a sweet child. Not like your mother either. How could she ever abandon someone as good as you?"
Bonnie stared at the old woman who'd served her sweet tea in big crystal glasses as she sang with the rest of them, raising her weak chin towards the sky.
Mrs. Baker's nephew was in those woods right now, maybe getting his throat cut. How Mrs. Baker would weep over him. Mrs. Lockwood too, if Tyler turned up dead. Caroline would be inconsolable if something happened to Matt. Everyone around that fire had something to lose. Every one of them would mourn their proud boys.
Bonnie felt a strange calm settle on her shoulder, like the talons of those silver eagles from the song. She smoothed down her dress and hair. She tried to look presentable as she walked past them. She didn't smile or wave, she only nodded her head.
The singers cheered and whistled at the sight of her, the parade queen walking barefoot down the street. She must've had a good time. Coach Tanner said something loud and lewd to that respect.
Bonnie walked faster. She didn't turn back.
Across the silver screen, the town of Atlanta was weeping for its dead. The crowds swarmed around the postmen who'd brought the casualty lists. The fresh widows fell down into the red dust, insensible. The marching band still strummed "I Wish I Was in Dixie" but one of the boys playing the flute wept openly and the camera zoomed in hungrily on his large, pearl-drop tears.
Bonnie moved on the outskirts of the parking lot, trying to avoid getting close to any cars. She didn't want to run into Elena or Caroline. Not that there was a chance they could see her in the dark. The noise was deafening too. You wouldn't be able to hear any screams coming from the woods. On the screen, Scarlett wore an apron similar to Bonnie's as she weaved through the sick beds. The wounded soldiers moaned, while outside, the retreating army marched through the city, causing panic and disorder.
There was no panic at the drive-in. That's because most of the boys were still out there, fighting an invisible enemy in the dark, while their girlfriends watched this beloved classic with their families. No sixteen year-old-boy could sit through a four-hour viewing of Gone With the Wind. They usually joined in by the second half.
Bonnie knew it was only a matter of time before they'd figure it out.
There was a scream lodged deep in her throat, but she feared that if she let it loose she'd never stop. And what sort of scream would it be?
"Don't cut, please don't cut! I can't stand it! No, don't!" a soldier was screaming on the screen. His leg had to be sawed off because of gangrene. He was being held down on the operating table. There was nothing to ease the pain. Scarlett cringed and looked away in horror. One of the girls in the audience laughed in disgust. Bonnie wondered if it was Ashley.
She walked all the way to the back of the drive-in. She climbed up the small hill behind the giant screen. From this vantage point, she could at least see what was coming from the forest below.
She leaned against one of the wooden pillars behind the screen and ran her hands over her face, wiping the sweat. She wanted to wipe her knowledge too, wipe all memories of the night. She wished she could wake up from this nightmare somewhere else, somewhere new.
She stood like that with her hands over her face for what felt like a long time while the orchestral music boomed all around her and made her teeth chatter.
When she finally removed her hands, she saw a figure moving up the hill, climbing towards her.
At first she thought it was Matt, because the figure was wearing his sergeant's uniform. But she couldn't fool herself for long. The snake had simply shed its skin. Malachai was wearing Matt's clothes to let her know the boy was dead.
Bonnie could even see the sewn-in Donovan on his jacket. She shuddered.
"There you are," he said warmly, his grin white against the inky sky. "You waited for me. I didn't think you would. I thought I might have to come after you."
Bonnie shook her head. "I wasn't waiting, I just – I didn't know where to go."
Kai cocked his head. "You haven't told anyone yet, have you?"
"They'll find out soon enough."
He took a step closer. "That's not the same thing. You didn't tell them."
Bonnie looked away. "I'm going to."
On the screen behind them they could see the faint outline of Atlanta going up in flames. The Yankees were setting everything on fire and throwing up the red earth with cannon balls. Poor Prissy was running through the streets scared, looking for Rhett Butler on behalf of her mistress. Bonnie cringed every time Prissy was on screen. Prissy, with her high, minstrel voice, her shrinking self-preservation which was seen as cowardice, her silly, cartoonish manners which made her look like the worst fool.
God, how she hated this movie.
Kai watched her face. He snorted.
"I guess if you had to watch this horseshit every year, you'd go on a killing spree too."
Bonnie snapped her head back to him.
"I'm nothing like you."
"I don't know, maybe you'd like to be," he said, stepping closer. "Maybe I did what you've always wanted to do."
He took out a small can from his haversack. Bonnie knew right away what it was by the smell of it.
Kai splashed the wooden pillars and the bottom of the screen with gasoline.
Then he took out a lighter and offered it to her. "Would you like to be me, for once?"
Bonnie stared at the small silver square he held between his fingers. There was fire on the screen too. Rhett and Scarlett were trying to make their way through the flaming city.
Bonnie took the lighter from him. She held it in her hands.
"What will you do when they catch you?"
Kai smirked. "If they catch me. People in this town are kind of slow." He tilted his head. "Do you want them to catch me?"
Bonnie knitted her brows. She clenched the lighter between her fingers.
Then who is it up to? he'd asked.
Me, a voice inside her head answered.
She flicked the spark wheel until a small flame lit her face. Then she threw the open lighter towards the screen.
The fire almost touched her in its anger.
Kai had to pull her back from the dry grass as the wood and vinyl went up in flames.
A wave of heat singed her lips.
Kai held her arms, his blood-stained fingers digging into her flesh.
On the half of the screen that hadn't yet been eaten by flames they could see Scarlett and Rhett projected against a red, apocalyptic sky.
She could hear Rhett's baritone.
"…in spite of you and me and the world going to pieces, I love you, Scarlett. Because we're alike. Bad lots, both of us."
Bonnie stared into Kai's eyes, as he stared into hers. Bad lots, both of them.
He nudged his head towards the screen. "You know, the women in these movies always lean their head back like that…like they're dying to be kissed."
He sank his fingers in her curls. Holding on to her waist, he tugged on her hair, angling her head up, making her lips part. "Are you dying too, Bonnie?"
Yes, she thought, holding onto him. Yes.
He crushed his lips against hers, mouth devouring mouth, teeth clashing and tongues meeting in hungry consummation while the flames rose higher and higher. He gripped her cheeks until they bruised, deepening the kiss, biting into her lips, drawing fresh blood, licking it and swapping it with his, with the rotten blood that covered him from head to toe, the dirty night's work that she'd witnessed. Bonnie moaned into the kiss, overwhelmed and famished, thinking they'd all lied to her about the devil and how good he tastes. She pushed aside all guilt, all remorse, hands curling around the collar of his jacket, fingers sinking into the short hairs at the back of his neck. His own hands stroked the column of her neck and sank into her torn cleavage, cupping a warm breast, stroking the tip with his thumb, making her arch against him.
Bonnie lifted her head to the sky as he lowered his mouth to her throat. The clouds that had gathered earlier stood dark and pregnant up above, but they did not dare to rain on their fire.
The movie had stopped playing. The screams and shouts were louder now. Panic rose like smoke and filled her nostrils. She found she liked the smell.
Kai wrested himself from her reluctantly, giving her one last bruising kiss.
"I'll be seeing you around, Bonnie," he murmured, pressing his mouth to her knuckles like that first time. We gotta stay in character.
He walked backwards, still looking at her, until the dark swallowed him up again, as if he'd never been there.
Bonnie breathed in and out. The world had imploded around her.
She stood in front of the burning screen in her half-torn antebellum gown with her curls in disarray and her lips smeared with blood.
Something was happening to her mouth. She pressed her fingers to it, but she couldn't control it.
There was that dark laugh again, the same one she'd heard in the woods.
But this time it was her. She was laughing. Cackling, actually.
She couldn't stop.
She opened her mouth wide and let it out.
Stream after stream of dark, gleeful laughter.
Bonnie stared at the burning screen and the smoke rising up like a crown and she laughed and laughed, her eyes dancing with the dark.
A/N: cue Shoshanna's revenge laugh from that scene in Inglorious Basterds ( watch?v=qLGjjHXyiOQ)
The song the Mystic Falls residents sing around the bonfire is from "Klassic Klan Kompositions" which really says it all...
Since i set this story in season 1, we could say the events take place in 2009 and maybe Mystic Falls would know better today, but let's face it, this is still very much a thing. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this madcap ride and found it as cathartic as I did (if you didn't, that's also cool)