Chapter 11
Possession and Sorrow
I woke up to the sound of my alarm, the noise being emitted from my phone driving me insane. The alarm also reminded me that it was Monday, the start of a new week.
"Great…" I groaned, pushing myself up off the couch and snatching my phone.
I ended the alarm, running a hand through my hair and yawning. Sometimes I seriously hated getting up in the mornings. It just sucked because I always had to leave earlier since I rode my bike to and from the school most times. Plus, I usually had to be there earlier anyway since I'm a teacher. My main reason being that I had to set a lot of stuff up for my students. Regardless, I had to be there early, but at least I could text Damon if I was bored enough.
T
Once at the school, I locked my bike up, scrambling the combination before heading inside. I had all of my papers in my bag, ready to hand them back to the students once the class started. Now, I just had to set up the displays. This in itself took a bit methodical in planning with the placement.
"Alright, time to get started," I announced, dropping my bag down beside my desk.
T
Within half a hour I'd gotten most of the stuff set up, a display arranged at each table. I planned on having them switch off every 15 minutes with a group critique in between each on their work. This way, they were learning and getting feedback from others. If I didn't do this, then it would likely be counterproductive.
"Lord, I'm tired," I sighed, going and sitting back in my chair.
Still having time to myself, I pulled the small book from my bag, pulling the elastic away and peeling open the leather cover. I skimmed over the lines, finding the entry from last night. I felt my eyes water slightly as I looked at it, remembering what had happened. They were nightmares of the worst sort or at least the after thoughts from them were.
-What can I say? What can I do? How long can I continue to hide from the past? Every time that I see him, it brings back an unwanted memory, a reminder of past mistakes and despair.
I've hid for so long and then all of a sudden I find it being tossed right back in my face. I've run for so long, merely trying to hide. I put up with so much from that man until I finally decided that enough was enough. I couldn't stay. Then he has the nerve to bring it up in 'passing' conversation. A snide little joke.
For me, it's no more a joke than a nightmare. He even had the audacity to imply his indiscretions upon Damon. I'll admit that Damon may be a little bit rough around the edges, but he's a good man.
I feel like laughing at myself because I knew this would happen. I had always known that it was just a matter of time before it would be brought up in front of me, in front of others. It's as if the wicked never sleep. they're always there reminding you of how dangerous the world truly is. Although, for me, I already know of the terrors that exist. Vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts. The stuff of myth. How many more things exist outside our knowledge? Although, I think that the true terrors lay in the hearts of man.
Jason is the perfect example of this. Even though he'd likely nominate Damon for it. Jason's always there reminding me just how close I am to the insanity of the world.
Now, here I am, talking in circles inside a ridiculous journal. I truly am losing my mind. Even more so that I had the sense to slap Jason. It was probably a mistake though and I would pay for it later. That much I knew. I knew for sure that I'd set off some sort of chain reaction, a domino effect that's far too dangerous for my liking. I feel as though I've hopped right back into the frying pan with this one. Unfortunately for me, I feel as though I won't be so lucky this time in escaping the touch of the flame. I'll feel as the fires burn.-
"Um, excuse me?"
I jumped at the voice, quickly shutting the cover.
"Uh, yes?"
I looked toward the door, a young gentleman only a bit older than myself standing there. He looked slightly nervous, his dark blue eyes glancing around the room.
"I'm sorry if I startled you," he apologized, shouldering his bag a bit better. "I'm looking for Mr. Tanner's room."
"Tanner?" I asked, brows furrowing for a moment, before realization hit me. "Oh, that."
I laughed for a moment, before standing up, sliding my book underneath a few papers.
"You must be the new history teacher then," I assumed.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well, I'm sure you'll have no problems," I told him, trying to make him a bit more comfortable.
I stepped outside the classroom with him, looking down the hall at the crowd of students.
"The room you're looking for," I started, pointing down the hallway. "It's just down this hall to your left around the corner," I explained. "It'll be the third one on your right."
"Oh, thank you, um?" he paused for a moment, holding his hand out.
"Kali," I supplied. "Kali Henderson."
I shook his hand respectfully, his grip firm, yet gentle.
"Alaric. Alaric Saltzman. Or Rick, whichever you prefer," he replied in the same manner I had. "Well, I'll see you are then," he smiled.
"Good luck," I said, turning back to my room as he walked off, students slowly making their way into the classroom.
T
"Rise and shine," Damon greeted loudly, causing Stefan to jump in his bed. "Gonna be late for school."
"What are you-? What are you doing?" Stefan asked, sitting up and staring at his brother.
Damon was on the other side of the room by the window, a pleasant look on his face as he held a cup out.
"Peace offering," he said simply.
Stefan merely sighed, getting up out of his bed, and trudging over toward Damon.
"Come on, you need it for blood circulation. Does dead flesh good," he nearly sung, a civil smile upon his face.
Stefan remained quiet, standing in front of Damon, staring at his. Damon never did anything nice for anyone unless it was to benefit himself. Especially, not so soon after pulling a stunt like he had the previous night. Lexi was gone because of him.
"All right. I'm sorry," he said, dropping the act.
"Step aside, please," Stefan said, brushing him off as he made his way to the bathroom.
"I got the town off our back. It was for the greater good," Damon said in exasperation. "But I'm sorry."
His voice held no sarcasm. He was trying to be sincere, which was something he wasn't used to doing with Stefan.
"And to prove it, I'm not gonna feed on a human for at least a," he paused for a moment, biting back his own discomfort at what he was about to agree with. "For at least a week."
Granted, the idea wasn't very appealing to him, but he had to do it. Then again, if he had to, he could probably just ask Kali. He was sure that she wouldn't mind letting him feed off of her a bit if it meant keeping everyone else safe.
"I'll adopt the Stefan diet," he said, before adding, "but nothing with feathers."
That was something that Damon couldn't stand. Yes, he could tolerate animal blood it he had to, but avian blood was just ghastly. He then took a drink of his coffee, watching as Stefan exited the bathroom, chest still bare.
"Because I realize killing your closest and oldest friend is beyond evil…and yet somehow it's worthy of humor," Stefan rolled out, pulling a shirt from his wardrobe.
Damon paused for a moment, staring at his brother, the tone in his voice oddly familiar.
"Are you mimicking me?" Damon asked, blinking after a moment.
"Yes, Stefan," Stefan replied, straightening the shirt he'd just pulled on. "Now that the secret society of vampire-haters is off our back…I can go back to my routine of "how can I destroy Stefan's life this week?" Or perhaps trick Kali into falling for me," he said smoothly, mimicking the suave none caring tone of Damon's usual voice, mocking him.
Damon tried not smirk as his brother did this, deciding to play along.
"And I can go back to sulking and Elena longing and forehead brooding," he announced, his voice becoming down and 'brooding' like Stefan's. "This is fun, I like this," Damon smiled.
Stefan ignored his words, buttoning his shirt.
"And I will finally reveal the ulterior motive…behind my evil and diabolical return to Mystic Falls," Stefan finished, a slightly dark undertone in his voice like Damon's.
"Yeah," Damon drawled, looking up at his brother from his slightly slouched position. "I'm done."
He was ending their little game of mockery, the little joke of banter dying out. He didn't want to play anymore as he moved to the other side of the room.
"This is just like you, Damon," he said, mimicking Stefan's voice and attitude. "Always have to have the last word," he said, a small, yet humorous smirk pulling at his lips as he walked out of the room.
T
"Alright, everyone, I'll see you tomorrow. And remember, I want two sketches from everyone," I reminded, pushing myself up from my desk.
I heard a few of them groan, but I ignored it, shaking my head. I didn't see why they were groaning about it since it was probably the simplest thing ever. Still, these were high school students. The less homework they received, the better in their minds. That's what I pulled together as they emptied out of the room, moving to put things away.
"Set stuff up, put stuff away," I sighed, grabbing a couple bottles from one of the tables and putting them up in the cabinet.
I had to do this everyday, getting things out and putting them away. It was like a never ending cycle. It only made things more annoying because I couldn't always reach to grab things and there was only so much room to stack stuff in here.
"Maybe I should have a designated clean up team," I pondered.
I then walked back over to the table, picking a metal pitcher up and taking it back over to the counter. It would just go in the corner, so I didn't really even have to worry about it.
"It'd definitely save me some trouble th-" the conversation with my self was cut over though as my foot slipped beneath me, sending me flying to the ground on my back, a yelp escaping my lips.
"Ow… Damn it," I hissed, laying there on the floor.
The vase that I'd had had also landed on the floor with me, shattering into pieces and scraping my arm, a few pieces laying on my shirt.
"This is why…I tell them to clean up their messes," I grunted, rolling over onto my sit painfully, the back of my head throbbing.
"Everything okay in here?"
I looked up, the guy from this morning standing there, brows furrowed together in concern.
"Are you okay?" he asked, dropping his bag on the ground and walking over to me.
I just looked up at him, my face scrunching up for a moment.
"Peachy," I gritted out, sitting up on the floor.
A hand was in front of me a moment later, reaching out in an attempt to help. I took it, allowing him to pull me up, my legs slightly shaky.
"Thanks," I said, biting back a groan.
He nodded in response, placing a hand on my back to steady me.
"So, how is it you found yourself on the ground?" he asked, looking me over for a moment.
"Well," I started, looking back down at the ground for a moment. "This is what happens when students don't clean up after using the sink," I told him, glancing at the small patch of water that had been left behind from when one of the students had washed their hands.
"Ouch."
"Yeah," I breathed, reaching up and rubbing the back of my head.
"Would you like some help?" he offered.
"Oh, no, you don't have to," I told him.
"I don't mind," he assured me. "Besides, I've got nothing else to do at the moment."
"If you're sure?"
"Positive," he nodded, offering me a smile.
"Alright then."
T
I rubbed my back as we walked outside, wincing as I pressed on it. It was painful and sore, the back of my head in just about as much pain. Not to mention my arm still stung, the scraps from the glass irritating my skin. The only good thing was that everything was cleaned up in the classroom now. I still couldn't believe that Alaric had gone out of his way to do that though.
"Why don't I give you a right home?" Alaric asked as I approached my bike.
"Oh, no, I couldn't. Besides, you've already done so much," I told him. "Not to mention, I rode my bike here."
"It wouldn't be a problem," he assured me. "Besides, there's plenty of room for it in the back of my Tahoe."
"Please, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you being so nice?" I asked.
He just smiled, shaking his head.
"No worries," he told me. "You were kind to me this morning, so I figured I'd return the favor," he reasoned.
"But you've already done that," I told him, referring to back in the classroom.
"That's true, but I'd feel better if you let me take you home," he told me. "You took a pretty nasty fall."
"Yes, I did," I sighed, thinking back on it. "Alright, I give, but this better not be some ploy in trying to get me to like you," I joked lightly.
"Of course not," he chuckled. "Wouldn't even dream of it."
T
From afar, Damon listened to their conversation. His eyes were slightly narrowed at the man talking to her, a laugh escaping her lips. He could have handled this if not for the fact that she was currently walking with him toward his car, her bicycle rolling along beside her.
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said there was plenty of room," she laughed, watching as he raised the back hatch.
"It gets the job done," he shrugged, gathering her bike and sliding it in.
After that, he shut the hatch, moving over to the passenger side and opening the door for her.
"Ladies first," he said, bowing his head slightly.
Damon watched as she smiled at the man, his fingers twitching slightly. He then watched as she got in the car, the door closing behind her. He was irritated.
T
"Here it is," I said. "2104 Maple Street."
"Nice house," Alaric commented.
"Thanks, but it's not mine," I told him.
"Oh?"
"I've been staying with some old friends recently," I explained, climbing out of the vehicle.
"I see."
"I'm going to be getting an apartment before too long though, just have to start searching for something reasonable."
"Well, let me know if you need anything," he told me, pulling my bike from the bar of the Tahoe and placing in on the ground.
I smiled at him, taking it from his hands.
"Not if I can help it," I joked, pushing it up the yard. "Thanks again," I called.
T
Damon sat there at the bar, a bottle of bourbon in front of him. For the last couple hours or so he'd been sitting there, drinking a glass at a time. He was irritated and hungry, the liquor curbing the cravings. He wasn't allowed to feed on a human for the entire week and he was already feeling the side effects.
"Hello, Stefan…"
Damon looked behind him, raising an eyebrow in question as Stefan came over, leaning against the counter. For a moment he ignored him, taking another drink from his glass, before pulling it away from his lips.
"You know, I've been thinking," he began, leaning his elbow on the counter. "I think we should start over. Give this brother thing another chance."
Damon found his statement funny, but remained quiet for a moment as he let his brother continue.
"We used to do it, oh, so well once upon a time," he said seamlessly.
"I don't, Damon," Damon grunted out, mimicking his brother as he had done early that morning. "I can't trust you to be a nice guy."
Damon's brows were furrowed into a brooding look as he spoke.
"You kill everybody and you're so mean."
Stefan watched on in amusement, shaking his head as his brother tried to be him.
"You're so mean and-" he had to stop, going back to his usual voice. "You're really hard to imitate and then I have to go to that lesser place," he breathed, shaking his head.
"Can I get a coffee, please?" Stefan asked the bartender, ignoring Damon for a moment. "So, what's with the bottle?" he asked casually, folding his hands in front of himself on the counter.
"I'm on edge," Damon replied tiredly, only giving away part of the reason. "Crash diet. You know, I'm trying to keep a low profile."
Stefan found this all too amusing. He nodded though, pretending to care.
"You could always just leave, find a new town to turn into your own personal Gas 'n' Sip," he offered casually, reminding Damon that he didn't want him there.
"I'll manage," Damon replied as though he wasn't bothered by any of it, looking over his shoulder for a moment, before pouring himself another drink. "You know, don't have to keep an eye on me," he told him.
"I'm not here to keep an eye on you," Stefan said simply.
"So why are you here?" Damon asked, seeing no other reason for him to be there then if it wasn't to watch him.
"Why not?"
With that, Stefan took his coffee, reaching over and snatching up the pouring bottle of liquor. He walked off, leaving Damon sitting there, a faint smile on his face as he shook his head. He followed his brother nonetheless.
T
"Kali, foods here!" Elena called, standing at the bottoms of the stairs.
There was no reply, so she decided to go up there and check. Last she knew, she was in Jeremy's room.
"Kali?" Elena called, knocking on the door.
"I don't think she's going to answer," Bonnie called up.
Bonnie had the distinct feeling that Kali was sleeping.
"Kali?" Elena tried again, pushing the door open.
She stopped though upon looking inside, finding Kali laying on the bed asleep, her bottle of pills laying there beside her. Elena had given them to her earlier after finding out that she'd taken a fall, cracking her head against the floor at the school earlier.
"So much for girls night," she sighed, walking over and picking the bottle up off of the bed.
She then turned back around, walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.
"She's asleep, isn't she?" Bonnie asked, watching as Elena descended the stairs.
"Yeah…" she sighed.
"Well, just don't worry about it," Caroline said. "It's her loss."
"Caroline, she's in pain right now," Elena said, slightly annoyed.
"So? She needs to learn to suck it up and deal with it," she said snidely.
"Caroline," Bonnie sighed in frustration.
"What? We had everything all planned out and then she has to go and ruin it by sleeping," she complained, throwing her hair over her shoulder.
"You're unbelievable."
T
"Lucky shot," Damon said, eyeing the dart that had managed to hit the bulls eye.
He walked over to retrieve it.
"More like a carefully honed skill over many decades," Stefan supplied.
Damon wrote another 50 points on the score board underneath Stefan's name. Stefan was now at 100 points, while Damon was stuck at 0.
"You're beating me," Damon stated, glancing over at his brother.
"Well, yeah, because I'm better than you," Stefan answered, watching as Damon gave him a dry smiled, scooping up the bottle and taking a drink.
"I'm on to you. Reverse psychology?" Damon came to face Stefan. "I mean it's a little transparent, but I admire the effort," he amended.
"Would you prefer brooding forehead?" Stefan offered, a smile on his face as he deliberately furrowed his brows for a moment.
"Seriously? What game do you think you're playing?" Damon asked, seeing through Stefan's little attempt.
Stefan nodded his head for a moment before speaking.
"That's a funny question…considering I've been asking you that for months," Stefan said, turning it back to Damon.
Damon sighed, shaking his head, getting a taste of his own medicine. He gave up, grabbing for the bottle once more.
"It's frustrating, isn't it?" he grinned, knowing he had beaten Damon at his own game.
"Touché."
T
Kali shifted on the bed, her face scrunching up as she laid there, feet pushing at the sheets. Her hands curled, eyes flickering beneath the eyelids.
"No…" she murmured.
Moments later she shot up, a loud bang from the other room shaking her from her sleep.
"Guys, what are you doing?"she groaned, slowly pushing herself up out of the bed and stumbling over to the door.
T
"What are we doing here?" Damon asked tiredly, nursing his bottle of bourbon.
They'd come to the football field upon Stefan's request. Since Damon was in one of those moods, he'd decided to humor Stefan, following him there.
"Bonding," Stefan answered. "Catch."
Damon caught the ball with one hand as it was thrown to him, holding it to his chest. He gave a half smile before throwing it back, catching Stefan in the gut.
"Mm," Stefan nodded. "Go on. Give it a try," Stefan said, tossing it back to him.
Finally, Damon agreed, leaning down and placing the bottle down in the grass. He held the ball with both hands, getting a grip on it.
"Don't forget who taught you how to play this game," he warned, shifting his feet apart a bit as he got into place.
Stefan just stood there staring, a smile on his face as Damon pulled his arm back. The ball was then sent flying all the way to the other end of the field in seconds, Damon disappearing and catching it in his arms before it hit the ground. Then, no sooner had he caught it, he was on the ground with a grunt. They fell apart, the ball rolling out of his hands as he laid on his back coughing.
"Ow. Ow, that hurts," he groaned, trying to get back the breath that had been robbed from him after being so winded, his hand over his chest.
"Down side of my diet," Stefan heaved. "Getting hit actually hurts a bit."
Damon's face scrunched up in pain as he drew in a breath, his eyes opening back up a moment later.
"Ugh. Whoo," he exhaled. "I'm impressed, Stefan."
He drew in another breath, slowly getting his breathing under control. He looked toward the sky, taking in the stars above. It was ironic because it was something that should have been done with someone you love. Sitting there, watching the stars. Kali popped into his head for a moment, a sad smile pulling at his lips.
"Fun with booze and darts, sentimental with football, and now…" he heaved out a sigh. "Starry night," he finished, pushing himself up into a sitting position.
Stefan turned to look at him as he laid there.
"What do you want, Stefan?" Damon finally asked, putting an end to his brother's charade.
Stefan had tried so hard with all of this, so Damon decided he'd sit there and attempt to listen. It was only fair.
"It wasn't real, Damon," Stefan breathed, pushing himself up as Damon had, resting his elbow on his knee. "Our love for Katherine," he continued, watching the look on Damon's face.
There was almost a look of disappointment on his face.
"Oh, God," Damon breathed out quietly, giving out a small grunt.
He couldn't believe Stefan was actually trying to bring that up again. He'd tried so hard with this 'bonding' thing and then he had to bring that up. He'd thought that they were passed that by now. It was unbelievable. He let out a sigh, staring back up at the stars for a moment.
"She compelled us. We didn't have a choice."
Damon looked back down at the end of the field, the overhead lightly lighting the bleachers.
"Took me years to sort that out, to truly understand what she did to us," Stefan told him.
"Oh, no, Stefan," Damon breathed, leaning back as he pulled his leg out to stand. "We're not taking that on tonight," he told him, patting Stefan's knee lightly before standing.
Stefan's face was one of sympathy as he watched his brother walk away. He wouldn't admit it, but he still cared for his brother and he didn't want to see him in pain. Stefan knew how Katherine truly was, but Damon couldn't bring himself to accept it. He was still desperately holding on to the thought of Katherine's love that he couldn't see the truth.
"What do you want with Katherine's crystal?" Stefan finally asked, watching as Damon stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder.
"How do you know about that?"
Stefan pushed himself up off of the ground, standing on his feet.
"Come on, you knew Elena would tell me."
"How do you know it was Katherine's? Emily gave it to her on her last night. I was with her and you weren't," Damon told him calmly, the fatigue evident in his voice.
Damon watched as Stefan opened his mouth to speak as though debating whether to continue.
"I was the last one to see her, Damon," Stefan explained.
The look on Damon's face changed, a mixture of emotions washing over him. He looked almost sad for a moment. Pain hitting him at not being the last one to actually be within her presence before her untimely death.
"Now, what do you want with Katherine's crystal?" Stefan repeated.
"She didn't tell you?"
"We had other thing on our mind," he tone rolling off and placing an image in Damon's mind.
A second later, Damon was in front of Stefan, mere inches between them. He was mad, yet he managed to control his anger as he spoke.
"I could rip your heart out and not think twice about," he said as calmly as possibly, eyes staring intently into his brother's.
"Yeah," Stefan breathed quiet, knowing that his brother could, but wouldn't. "I've heard that before."
Damon drew in a breath as Stefan caught his bluff, clasping his shoulder.
"I have a bigger surprise, Stefan," Damon told him, slowly walking away before turning back around. "I'm gonna bring her back," he said simply, a small grin on his face.
It took Stefan a moment to process Damon's words, his brows furrowing together. He had to try one more thing.
"What about Kali?" Stefan called out, making Damon stop.
"What about her?"
"I've seen how you are around her," Stefan said.
"Oh?" Damon inquired, taking a step toward his brother. "And how is that exactly?"
"You're actually a decent person when you're around her."
Stefan watched as Damon stood there, a trace of something sparking in his eyes. He didn't want to let go.
"She wasn't afraid of you, Damon," Stefan continued, hoping his words would accomplish something. "She actually cares, Damon."
Damon stood there, eyes looking off elsewhere as he tried to process Stefan's words. True, he was happier around Kali and he didn't even have to compel her. She hadn't been afraid of him when she'd found out what he truly was, even when he'd pushed her, purposely trying to scare her. She trusted him and the kisses they shared…
"What are you getting at, Stefan?" Damon asked.
"She's good for you, Damon, no matter how much I dislike the idea of her being around you."
Damon actually thought about it, but that soon ended as Stefan spoke his next words.
"Forget about Katherine."
"I can't," Damon breathed out. "I just can't."
T
The moment I heard screaming I ran out of the room, pushing my way into the hallway. I could hear Elena and Caroline yelling, yelling for Bonnie, the sound of Bonnie's screams filling my ears. It was like something out of a horror film.
"Bonnie!" I cried, running forward, my mind freaking out.
The lights began flickering furiously, the sound of electricity crackling in the air.
"Bonnie!" Elena called desperately, banging on the bathroom door, trying to pull it open.
It wouldn't budge. Then, suddenly, everything stopped. The door opened and her screams stopped, the lights going back to normal. My heart was pounding in my ears.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Elena asked, her breath coming out in pants.
Bonnie stood there, slowly raising her head. Something was off, I knew this, but I didn't know why.
"I'm fine," she said calmly, voice steady as though nothing had happened.
"Unbelievable. You were totally faking it," Caroline said, voice irritated and freaked out.
"Caroline, come on," Elena tried.
"No, you scared the hell out of me," Caroline hissed, moving away from the door.
Elena followed her, trying to calm her down. I stood there though, watching as Bonnie's gaze fell upon mine, our eyes connecting. Right away, I felt a shiver run through me, an eerie feeling washing over me.
"You're not Bonnie," I breathed.
"You're insightful."
"Elena?" I called out hesitantly, watching as 'Bonnie' walked toward me, a determined look upon her face.
Without even realizing it, I took a step back, letting her pass. I followed as she made her way to the stairs, watching her. I didn't even register that Elena and Caroline were fighting.
"Thank you for having me, I'll take it from here," she said.
Then, just as Bonnie rounded the bottom of the stairs, Elena called out.
"Emily."
"I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed," she said, quickly making her way out the door.
I was the first one down the stairs, escaping through the door right before it slammed shut. I then stumbled over my feet, landing on my hands and knees. She was already a ways ahead of me.
"Bonnie!" I called out, pushing myself up off of the ground.
I ran after her, but I never seemed to get any closer.
T
Stefan's phone rang, sending Damon over to a picnic table and sitting down.
"Stefan?" came the frantic sound of Elena's voice.
"What's wrong?" he asked, walking a few steps away from Damon.
"It's Bonnie."
"What happened?" he asked.
"Emily's possessing her. She said something."
"What did she say?"
Behind him, Damon sat listening, eyes staring out in front of him.
"She said, "I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed." Then she just left," she explained.
"Okay, where do you think she went?" Stefan asked, trying to keep her calm.
"I don't know," she sighed. "But Kali went after her."
Damon perked up at this, his fingers curling lightly into the material of his pant leg.
"Wait, she did what?"
"She went after Bonnie," Elena repeated.
"This isn't good," Stefan groaned, running a hand through his hair.
"Fell's church," Elena said suddenly. "By the old cemetery. That's where she took Bonnie in her dreams."
Damon stood up without Stefan realizing, quickly making his way toward Fell's church.
T
I shivered as I walked through the woods, the chilly night air attacking my skin. In my haste I hadn't even thought about grabbing my jacket, merely running straight after Bonnie.
"Where is she?" I whispered, looking around.
I'd been following right after her, even if it was at a distance due to how fast she was. My only problem now was how dark it was.
"Come on…"
I pushed my way forward, my foot catching a root causing me to fall. I caught myself though, gritting my teach as forest debris dug it's way into my skin. I pushed myself back up though, stumbling forward. I nearly jumped out of my skin though when I heard the sound of someone crying out in pain, the voice familiar. I felt my eyes widen in fear, sprinting forward.
"Damon!" I cried.
I tripped again, quickly picking myself up. The further I got, the closer the sound, the sound of his pained voice filling me with fear.
"Damon!" I cried out, pushing my way forward into the clearing of trees, my heart stopping as my eyes fell upon Damon. "Damon," I whispered, stepping forward.
He was hanging on a tree, a broken branch impaling his stomach as he gripped it painfully.
"Damon," I choked out, rushing forward in an attempt to get him down.
"Don't bother," I heard Bonnie say, turning toward her with look of shock.
"Get me down," Damon choked out, grunting as he writhed on the spit.
I complied without a second thought, moving closer and grabbing hold of his leg. I pushed up with all my might, hearing as he hissed in pain. I felt horrible.
"J-just hold on," I told him, positioning myself underneath him, my back against the tree.
I then positioned his feet on my shoulders, standing up as tall as I could, bracing my back against the tree. My hands then went to his leg again, gripping it tightly.
"Damon, it's gonna hurt, but you need to push against me," I told him.
A moment later, I felt his legs pushing roughly on my shoulders, sending me closer to the ground. I grunted, but I pushed myself back up, the muscles in my legs straining under the weight.
"I said, leave him," Bonnie said firmly.
I then felt something in the back of my head, wincing as my footing faultered.
"Ah!" I choked out, gripping my head.
I was sent to the ground when Damon managed to push himself off the rest of the way, landing beside me, both of us doubled over in pain. It was as if the pain I'd felt from earlier had come back ten fold.
"Leave her alone!" Damon hissed.
"You are not worthy of help," Bonnie told him, my head feeling as though it were splitting. "I must protect my family."
All of a sudden the pain stopped, allowing me to stand. It did me little good though as I felt things start to spin, my balance faltering as I swayed.
"Kali," Damon grunted, pushing himself toward me as I stood there.
"Emily!"
That was the last thing that I heard as I fell forward, a strange warmth enveloping me and holding me close. It was comforting.
T
"Kali," Damon gritted out, shaking her.
There was nothing, the pain she'd felt completely overriding her senses.
"Emily, I swear to God, I'll make you regret this," Damon growled, mouth twitching in pain and he set Kali down on the forest floor.
He was absolutely livid now. Now only had she thrown him into a tree, impaling him no less, but she'd also caused Kali pain for attempting to help him.
"They should never have to know such evil," Emily told them, staring down at Kali.
In all honesty, she hadn't truly meant to cause her that much pain, merely trying to get her to refrain from setting Damon free.
"I won't let you unleash them into this world," Emily told Damon.
"Them?" Stefan asked, clueless as to what was going on. "What part of the story did you leave out, Damon?"
"What does it matter?" he gritted out, pushing himself up and weakly grabbing onto Stefan's arm as he panted.
"Emily, tell me what you did," Stefan demanded, moving away from Damon to check Kali.
She still had a pulse, but it was a bit weak, the pain tearing away at her as it overloaded her senses.
"To save her, I had to save them," she told him, finishing the drawing in the dirt.
"You saved everyone in the church?" Stefan asked in disbelief.
"With one comes all," Emily answered.
"I don't care about them," Damon choked out, grabbing hold of Stefan, his next words slightly hesitant as he looked back down at Kali. "I just want Katherine."
"I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that came out of your mouth," Stefan said forcefully, gripping his brother's arms in his hands. "This isn't about love, is it?" he asked, shaking him. "This is about revenge."
"The two aren't mutually exclusive," Damon told him, pulling away.
"Damon, you can't do this," Stefan told him.
"Why not?" Damon growled roughly. "They killed 27 people and they called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get."
"Twenty-seven vampires, Damon," Stefan emphasized as if Damon wasn't seeing the issue at hand. "They were vampires. You can't just bring them back," he said, getting in his face.
"This town deserves this," Damon said, staring at his brother.
"You're blaming innocent people…for something that happened 145 years ago."
"There is nothing innocent about these people," Damon hissed. "And don't think for a second that it won't happen again."
Damon was standing on his own now.
"They already know too much and they'll burn your little grand-witch right next to us when they find out. Trust me," Damon said, pointing a finger at Emily.
"And what about Kali?" Stefan pressed, shoving his brother. "You bring them back, they wouldn't hesitate to rip her throat out," he spat. "Does she really deserve something like that?"
Damon's mouth twitched, eyes flickering toward Kali for a brief moment. He then reminded himself of why he was doing this. He wanted Katherine back.
"Things are different now," Emily spoke up, dropping the branch in her hand on the ground.
"Don't do this," Damon pleaded, his breath heaving in and out.
"I can't free them," Emily told him. "I won't. Otherwise, people like her," she pointed toward Kali. "They won't stand a chance and neither will my family."
"No," Damon choked out.
"Incendia!" Emily cried out, flames raising from the ground keeping Damon back, the fire attempting to lick at his skin.
"No!" he cried out.
They both watched as she pulled the crystal from her neck, holding it out in front of her.
"No, no, no. Please," Damon cried in desperation as Elena came running toward them.
"Bonnie," she called out, Stefan running forward and stopping her, his arms wrapping around her.
"No!" Damon cried out as the crystal was thrown into the air, the stone exploding and shattering into a million pieces like a firework, the sparks raining down on them all.
After that, Damon felt himself lose all control, his face contorting viciously as the flames died down. Without even realizing it, he attacked the young girl, tearing into her neck without remorse. Then as quickly as he'd come, he was pulled off, dropping Bonnie onto the ground.
"Bonnie," Elena choked out, watching as Stefan knelt down beside her, checking her pulse.
"She's alive, but barely. I can save her," he said quickly, biting into his wrist and shoving it into Bonnie's mouth, his blood sliding down her throat.
Damon merely stood there watching, sadness washing over him as the anger left him, the veins in his face receding. He then looked toward Kali hesitantly. She hadn't even moved, her body laying there limply. She had actually tried to help him, only to end up hurt. Everyone ended up hurt around them, but Kali didn't seem to care, she still stuck around. His thoughts were interrupted as Elena spoke, shaky relief in her voice.
"Her neck, it's healing," she cried, holding her hair back out of the way.
Damon turned his head at her words, watching as Bonnie's neck repaired itself, the flesh pulling back together. At this point, he knew that he'd have to leave town. There was no longer a reason for him to stay. He then looked back at Kali, slowly kneeling down beside her. He slid his arm underneath her legs easily, his other sliding under her back to pick her up. He was still weak, but he was at least strong enough to do that. He turned toward Stefan for a moment though, locking eyes with his brother.
"Katherine never compelled me," he told him, glancing down at the woman in his arms, her body cradled in his arms. "I knew everything, every step of the way."
It had been real for Damon, that much was obvious.
"I'll leave now," he whispered, his eyes watering as he turned away and began walking off into the woods.
The last thing that he would do would be to make sure that Kali got home, her body resting safely inside of the house away from harm. After that, he'd be gone from her life and everyone else's in Mystic Falls. Sadly enough, he found himself saddened at the notion of leaving, the notion of leaving his only friend. Kali was better off without him anyway.
Alright everyone, that was chapter 11. I really hope that everyone liked it? Please, let me know what you think? Does anyone have any ideas for this story? It would help out a lot.
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