{{{{{{[[[[AUTHORS NOTE: Sorry about the wait, I'm glad you guys like it, I'll be posting a new chapter every few days, no longer than two weeks, again, sorry for making you guys wait, be sure to comment and stuff I take what you say under consideration! The story has room for changes, after all, if the author knows the ending then the reader probably does too ;) and with that I'm leaving it open for interpretation. I hope you guys enjoy]]]]}}}}}}}}
When Bonnie looked at the clock above her head, it was two minutes before she was supposed to meet with Stefan and just as she glanced down at the door which was being opened that's exactly who she found. "Always early," Bonnie smiled. She was early herself for this same reason.
Stefan just smiled a little and nudged his head to the side, as if motioning for Bonnie to follow him. She took a step forward and Stefan leaned back into the door and Bonnie stepped through the doorway and past him. Always the gentleman, Bonnie thought as she hopped along. This was also to be expected of Stefan but what was not expected was Bonnie finding herself staring at Elena, with Elena in the passenger seat. Elena smiled at Bonnie's expression, which didn't look as surprised as taken back. Bonnie looked sideways at Stefan but he just shrugged and moved toward the car. Bonnie smiles uneasily at her friend, making her own way to the car "If I would have known you were coming I would have insisted that Meredith come as well."
'Let her worry about school for today," Elena replied as Bonnie got into the back seat. "So" Elena says as Bonnie slides on her seat belt. She chose to sit in the middle so she could lean forward and discuss with her friends without feeling out of loop. "What did you have in mind Bonnie?"
"Look, I know you guys don't want me getting involved in the whole serial killer thing but I can really help you guys out. The murder was pretty close to here and I'm sure that if we go and I examine the scene, I could totally get a premo-"
"Bonnie?" Stefan interrupts her, the car beginning to move. "How about we focus on the problem at hand right now, hmm?" he says it rather nonchalant but Bonnie knows better than to argue when Elena was sending her daggers through the rearview mirror.
"Well first off, Damon can't be that far from us. The spell states that the closer you are to the force field, the more power you'll feel. If he had been in another country, I wouldn't have felt the blast as much as I had."
"Do you think you could get past the force field?" Stefan asks lightly and now Bonnie narrowed her eyes. He was either in a really good mood, which was weird because this conversation wasn't exactly light but then again he might just be feigning a cool façade for Elena's benefit.
"Probably not." Bonnie said honestly "But that isn't to say that this is all a lost cause. I can pin point where the power is coming from. It might not lead us to Damon but it will at least take us to the witch and hopefully he or she can get us going in the right direction."
"Great. So where are we headed exactly?" Elena asked, straight to the point.
"Right now, the woods. I need to be around trees for this spell."
"Is anywhere alright?" Stefan asks, already coming to a stop on the side of the high way.
"This is fine." Bonnie says and they all unbuckle and head off into the woods. After just a minute or two of walking Bonnie stops and kneels to the ground. Stefan and Elena glance at each other before they both take a step back. Bonnie begins whispering the five words she had been memorizing all morning. In her hand she held a little charm bracelet which Damon had given to her before he had left. She continued to repeat the spell and she could feel the mood around her change slightly, the wind blowing her hair, the leaves scratching against one another above her. And then, just like that she said something. She didn't know what she had said after she said it but that was nothing new. She rarely ever knew what she was saying in a trance, if ever. "What did I say?" Bonnie turns around but she doesn't see Stefan or Elena. Then she gets that sick feeling in her stomach and she pulls out her cell from her pocket. The second she does, its already vibrating. "Please don't tell me you're going without me." Bonnie says as an answer.
"Sorry Bonnie, but if Damon is in trouble, and Stefan thinks he is, then its better if you sit this one out." Elena says without a hint of apology in her tone.
"But I really wanted to see him!" Bonnie cries and she can feel her eyes getting watery. Why were they still treating her like a little kid?
"You will see him. We'll bring him back with us, I promise. Now just wait by the road, Stefan already called Meridith to pick you up."
Bonnie said nothing. Instead she just hungup on her friend. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she began walking in the opposite direction of the road. "You want to treat me like a kid." she said to herself "then I'll act like one."
Elena set the phone down on the counsel between her and Stefan. She doesn't look at him and he doesn't say anything. Elena sighs. They sit like that, the trees passing them by and Elena looks at Stefan. He's staring straight ahead, his green eyes focused on the road but Elena knew he wasn't thinking about driving. His jaw was tense and his hands looked stiff on the wheel. "Who're the Cyrus's?"
Stefan flexed his fingers "They're a group of very powerful witches." He glances over at Elena "So I've heard."
"And what are we going to do once we reach them?" Stefan says nothing so Elena continues "How do we know they aren't keeping him prisoner or something?" Still nothing "What if they try to take us prisoners as well?"
"They won't."
"We don't know that."
"No we don't. Do you have any ideas?" Elena narrows her eyes, "I didn't think so." Stefan sighs.
"Do all witches hate vampires?" Elena says and now Stefan glanced at her, seeing the nervous expression on her face.
"Not all. They mostly think they're above my species." Stefan gave her half a smile "Don't worry Elena. Once we get there I can scope the place out and think of a plan. We aren't a hundred percent sure he's a prisoner." Stefan says but Elena rolls her eyes. They both knew he was.
"Why are we going here again?" Zander asked for the third time. Bonnie rolls her eyes. Her phone buzzes in her hands and she glances down to the seventh missed call from Meredith. Bonnie sighs and turns her cell off. She looks at Zander and he's looking at her hands where she held her phone. He looks up at her face with a questionable expression on his features. "Bonnie. What's up with you?"
"I just want to check this place out. I can't explain why till later ohkay? Can you just trust me please?"
Zander looks away from Bonnie and looks at the road ahead of him. He looks at the sky above him and see's it was still sunny. The light was red and it was taking forever to turn green. There were no cars crossing in front of them. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the murders in that town right?" Zander asks without looking at her.
"Ohmehgawd, Meredith told you?" Bonnie shrieks.
"Don't freak." Zander looks at her wide eyed "She told the pack."
"Why haven't you mentioned it to me? Did she ask you not to tell me?"
Zander licked his lips "...not in so many words..."
Bonnie crossed her arms. She couldn't believe them. She thought they were past this whole 'keeping things from her' thing. But obviously they weren't. "Bonnie please don't be mad. We were just trying to-"
"I don't want to hear it." Bonnie says. "Just drive."
"Relax Meredith. This is Bonnie we are talking about. She probably just went to the mall or something. Have you spoken to Zander yet?" Elena asks and Meredith sighs.
Down the hall Meredith can hear some girls giggling. She looks at them, the way they're all sun tan and colored nails, not a care in the world. Meredith pressed the phone between her shoulder and ear as she used her hands to rummage through her purse and find her keys. "I tried him but he isn't answering either."
"See! She's probably with him. Now stop worrying." Meredith walked into her dorm room and closed the door with her foot. The room looked lonely to her for some reason.
"I can't help it. I told you my cousin Jason called- it has me on the frits, I'm telling you." Meredith says dropping her bag by her bed.
"How come I've never met this mysterious cousin of yours, hmm?" Elena says with something more than curiosity and Meredith grins.
"Because I know that if I was a boy Damon wouldn't be Stefan's only competition." She scoffs at her own joke but Elena doesn't' laugh so Meredith clears her throat. "No but seriously. Being a hunter... its weird that I've stayed in the same place for so long. We're usually... you know. Hunting."
"Right." Elena says and Meredith rubs the back of her neck. "Well I look forward to meeting them. They won't try to kill Stefan right?" Elena says this as a joke but something underneath her tone lets Meredith that it was a legitimate question.
"I'll make sure they don't. They aren't terribly old fashioned. Once I explain what kind of vampire Stefan is, I'm sure they'll leave him alone."
"Hmm... well, I'll let you go. I'll call you after the whole witch thing goes down."
"Do you guys have a plan?"
"Of course we have a plan. We aren't rookies."
"Right." Meredith rolls her eyes. "What time will you arrive?"
"At this rate we should be talking to the Cyrus's by tomorrow noon, latest. I'll call you after and check in."
"Don't leave me worrying." Meredith says looking out the window. There was a little blue bird perched on a branch just outside their window.
"I won't. Bye."
"Bye."