She hated crying. Why was she even weeping to begin with? Her behavior would suggest that she was the one on the receiving end of the assault, not Kai. Bonnie took crying as a sign that a change was in order. Any situation that reduced her to tears was not one that she wished to remain in.
This particular situation, however, was not one that was avoidable. So far, all of her escape attempts had been futile. The failure of which were on a constant loop in her mind. No matter how much she attempted to rationalize the events of the past month, five, if she included her time with Damon, she always came to a block in the road. What else was left that she could she possibly do? She swiftly wiped the falling tears from her cheeks and moseyed on the path Kai had taken.
When she had finally caught up to him, she made sure to remain a good distance behind. They were walking along the side of the road for quite some time before the crushed ball of metal that was the car, came into view before them.
Kai hadn't turned around to face her, nor had he spoken since the incident. This was one of the rare occasions when Bonnie actually began to miss his incessant banter. This was the quietest she had ever seen him. And she hated to admit it, but it made her apprehensive. Silence from his type usually meant something sinister was brewing.
Then again, who was she to decipher his behavior? Surely, there were times when he was imprisoned here, all by his lonesome, where he kept quiet for a significant amount of time? To be frank, she hardly knew him. All she knew about him was his murder history and the clues she found in his childhood home.
The drawings! She wondered briefly if he had taken note of the items she had stolen. If he knew which specific diary entries had caught her eye. She was eye level with his back at about fifteen feet away. Her eyes rested on his swaying shoulders as he continued to walk in silence. She speculated about what was on his mind. She could simply ask, if she wanted a straightforward answer. Even though the curiosity was gnawing away at her, she wasn't entirely sure if she was prepared for what he might say.
A thought came to her, even if it only crossed her mind for a moment, about the possibility of having hurt his feelings. What if the assault had elicited some deep-rooted, childhood memory from him? What if she had caused the timid, abused little boy from the diary entries to re-emerge? What if -
She scoffed at herself. Kai was a sociopath. He couldn't feel emotion, even if he tried. The only emotion she had seen him display thus far had been rage. That and lust, if she counted all of his advances.
She came down from her mind to realize that Kai had stopped walking. He came to a stop in front of the car and opened the back door on the left with one hand, with one bag slung over his shoulder. He pulled out a second bag and strapped it around his other shoulder. He reached inside for the third time and emerged with the a bag in hand, extended towards Bonnie.
"A little help would be nice."
She jogged forward to fill the space between them and grabbed the bag. She took it without a word. Heat in her face began to rise as he stood there looking down at her in silence. She broke away from his intense gaze by darting her eyes to the left, towards the forest.
Kai slammed the door shut, causing shards of residual glass to trickle down onto the ground and followed alongside the road once more.
"Looks like we'll be traveling on foot, since someone totaled my car. At least until we find another car or a house. Whichever comes first." His voice carried some of its usual jovial undertones.
Well, that was a good sign. "You're speaking again?"
"I finally have reason to."
"That's never stopped you before."
"You sound pretty upset, Bonster. Aww, did you miss the sound of my voice?"
Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "Don't try to spin this around on me. I had no idea you could be so...moody."
"Who says I'm moody?"
"That's my observation."
"Well you observed wrong, didn't you?" She could see that cheeky grin had returned as he looked down and smiled at her. She had fallen in step next to him.
Bonnie nodded. "Okay. That's fine. Just deflect."
"Oh God," He rolled his eyes. "Dr. Bennett has made a return. Let me guess, you majored in Psychology?"
"No! But if you must know, I'm currently majoring in Folklore and Mythology, while minoring in Criminal Justice."
"Yeah because it'll be super easy to find a career in Folklore and Mythology!"
"I know it's not the most practical major but it's what interests me. Why do you think I also chose Criminal Justice as a minor? I figured that it would be a good opportunity to learn more about my heritage and I could practice a subject that was more feasible."
"Why Criminal Justice? Sounds tedious."
"Not surprised that someone like you would think so. But I chose it because I like to help people. I like to see others be given a fair chance. I believe in morality and I want to make a positive difference in the world."
"Aww, how sweet." His condescending tone irked her.
"Well what would you have majored in, huh? Did you even go to college?"
"As a matter of fact I did."
"Really? Where?"
"Portland State."
"And you majored in...?"
"This might come as a surprise to you, but I was pretty scholarly in college, with a major in Physics."
"Pft! And you call Criminal Justice boring? Why Physics?"
"I like to know how things work."
"That doesn't surprise me. Contrary to what you might think, you never struck me as unintelligent. However, you do seem like the type that would prefer a Frat party as opposed to a study group."
"Yeah, their parties were great." He said with a reminiscent smile. "But even I had to admit that those guys were extra dickish, even for me."
Bonnie couldn't help but grin at that.
"Other than the parties, the Frat life wasn't for me. Too micromanaged. Plus, the image they had to maintain didn't suit me. Although the hazing was pretty fun."
"Wait, I thought you just said you weren't in a fraternity?"
"I wasn't but I had my connections. I knew a few idiots who were naive enough to buy into the hype. They were members and any hazing done off campus to newbies, I was more than happy to take part in."
"So my deduction was right!"
"I guess you could say that. So what about you Ms. Pristine? What did you and your friends do for fun?" He continued in a high pitched, mock girly voice: "Have sleep overs and prank call boys?"
Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him. "You are so stuck in the nineties. No one prank calls anymore. And for your information, my two best friends and I are roommates so yes, technically, we always have sleep overs. Other than that, we party just like any other college student."
"That's a shocker." he said dryly.
"You know what else is shocking? The fact that someone like you even had any friends. I thought sociopaths couldn't maintain normal relationships?"
"Ouch. That's rather ignorant of you Bonnie. We're not all like the creepy, recluses they portray in the media. That was very hurtful."
"How would you know? You can't feel."
"No, but you can." He gave her a smirk that left a residual insidious feeling within her.
The sky had begun its transition from black to light blue, with hues of red, yellow and orange.
"Ah, just in time. I'll do the honors of choosing the dwelling quarters this time."
"Have at it." She said dismissively.
At long last, they had come to another neighborhood, similar to the one they had previously resided in. However, this neighborhood visibly contained much larger houses.
"Where are we?" Bonnie asked.
"Boulder, most likely."
"I don't recall seeing a sign."
"Don't need to. I know this Prison World like the back of my hand."
Once they were a few roads inside the district, Kai walked up to a cottage style house, with a beige and dark brown wood exterior.
Kai walked up to the door and pulled out a switchblade from his pocket. After a few clicks, the door was open.
"Smooth." Bonnie commented.
"I know." Accompanied by a cocky grin.
Bonnie knew for certain now that this house was without a doubt bigger than the last one. There was a wide staircase to the left of them, with white steps and wooden railings. Spaced diagonally above the stairs were a collection of lavish paintings, accompanied by fancy lighting fixtures, which were sprinkled on the walls all throughout the house. At the base of the stairs was a wooden coat and shoe rack. To the right of them was a white closet with a sliding door.
Directly in front of them was yet another expensive looking painting, hovering above a mahogany dresser and with a green lamp. Further down was a spacious hallway, which, judging from the white refrigerator, Bonnie could see that it lead to the kitchen and more than likely, the living room as well.
Kai dropped the two bags to the ground. Bonnie grabbed the one with her contents and made her way to the staircase.
"Just so you know, the same rules apply: you remain downstairs at all times."
"Those were the rules at the old house. And if I recall, I picked this one, so I make the rules." He said gesturing to himself with his thumbs.
"Not while you're staying with me." She said with a fake smile. "Goodnight." She ascended the stairs without another word. Once at the top, she stood in the middle of the hall and to her left was a washer and dryer, with a study behind her. She felt justified in maintaining her house rules because there was only one master bedroom in front of her.
She entered to find a king size bed with disheveled sheets, between two dressers with a lamp on each to the left of the room. Straight across from the bed was a larger dresser with a TV centered on top. To the left of the TV was a closet, to the right was a master bathroom with two sinks. Facing her, and to the left side of the bed was a window. Underneath it was another dresser, overflowing with clothes.
"No kids this time, huh?" She asked herself, shutting and locking the door.
She threw her bag on the bed and examined her clothes. She reeked of the outdoors. Not to mention, the cuts and scratches from the accident could use some attending to. She pinpointed a tank top and a pair of shorts from her bag and hopped in the shower. The warm water truly did wonders for her tense muscles.
She came back into the bedroom, and plopped down onto the bed. She figured she would have time to explore the rest of the house tomorrow. She was far too spent to do much else at the moment.
Then it was settled: If she couldn't change her circumstances, then she would change her perspective. If Kai wanted to search for another source of magic so ardently, she would go along with his plan. She, however, had an entirely different plan of her own. She curled up under the covers and let sleep come and whisk her away.
She slept through the morning. Bonnie sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawning in the process.
The sky darkened momentarily outside of the window, letting her know that it was exactly 12:28pm. She used the restroom and headed downstairs, mentally preparing herself for yet another day in Hell with the Devil himself.
Her feet grew cold making contact with the hard wood floors and even icier steps. She rounded the corner of the stairway and headed down the spacious hallway. Next to her right was a white bookshelf that was built into the wall. Across from it on her left was a small public bathroom. She came to a stop in the living room. Adjacent to her was a massive flat screen, on the far wall to the left of it was another built in bookshelf. A coffee table and a white sofa sat in front of the TV. Behind the sofa was a wooden table for two and further back was a sliding, glass door.
Kai was cooking with his back facing her. He was wearing a worn blue T-shirt with black sweatpants. They were separated by a timber island with a granite lid. The oven was embedded into the wrap around counter-top that lead to the fridge.
Bonnie opened it and searched for something to eat.
"Good morning." He called without turning around.
"If you can call it that." She leaned onto the island and bit into an apple she found.
"Oh, don't be so grouchy. I made breakfast." He turned around to divide the scrambled eggs into the two plates on the counter.
"I'm not eating that." Kai paused to look up and raise his eyebrows at her. "I'm not eating anything you cook, ever again."
He shook his head. "You poison a girl once, and she never lets you live it down." He dumped the contents of one plate onto the other. "But if you insist, more for me."
He threw the other plate in the sink, grabbed his own and a cup of juice, and took a seat on the sofa. Bonnie reluctantly joined him.
"Whatcha in the mood for?" He asked between bites and flipping through channels.
Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn't matter."
"Just remember, you said it." He stopped flipping through the channels and focused on his plate. "You know one of the perks about traveling to different states is the different time zones. You don't have to sit through repeats of -"
"What time did you want to start looking for another source?"
Kai kept eating. "Since when were you interested in helping me locate another source of magic?"
"Since all of my escape attempts have failed." Which was partially true.
He took a nonchalant bite. "Now why would I be so quick to accept this proposal after you've resisted this notion for so long?" He was still eyeing the television, not taking her seriously.
Bonnie grabbed the remote from his side and turned down the volume on the TV. She fixed her body to face him directly. "Look, the truth is, I'm tired. Tired of running, tired of fighting, tired of living on edge. I've come to the conclusion that I can't stop you from searching for another source so, why not assist you?" Kai had put his plate in his lap and turned to face her, giving her his undivided attention. His expression was hard to read.
"What brought on the change of heart?"
"Being trapped here all this time has only made me realize how much I miss my loved ones. I'd give anything to have them back. I wanna go home as much as you do."
His face remained blank.
"I also took what you said into consideration: You have no reason to hurt me if we're on the same side."
Bonnie fiddled with the apple in her hands to avoid his cold gaze. What if he didn't buy it? Even though this change in mindset was abrupt, her reasons for doing so seemed logical enough. His silence only made her more anxious. She put on her most innocent expression. "I'm also hoping that this declaration will be enough to spare me from more contaminated food." She chuckled in an attempt to display lightheartedness.
He looked off to the side, considering her words. "Hmm, all of what you said is true. And let's be honest, I wouldn't want myself as an enemy either." Bonnie rolled her eyes at his arrogant comment. As he mulled it over, she swore she could see the gears turning in his head. He was dragging it out to prolong her nervousness. He had to be. How long was he going to consider it? He eyed her up and down once more, just for good measure.
"We'll see how this works out." He turned back to face the TV.
Whew! "Well, if you can't beat 'em join 'em."
"We'll leave after I eat."
"Great! I'll go get dressed now."
"You do that."
Bonnie got up to leave the room.
"Cute PJs, by the way." He called from the couch.
She wrapped her arms around her torso in an attempt to cover herself and glowered back at him as she scurried out of the room. She heard him chuckle as she got further down the hallway.
"Found anything? Over." Kai's voice came through the small intercom.
"No, nothing yet."
"I'm sorry, didn't read that. Over."
"I said I didn't find anything."
"Still didn't read that. Over."
"Ugh! I. Said. I. Did. Not. Find. Any. Thing. Yet. Over!"
"Copy that. Over."
Bonnie could tell that he smiled as he said the last sentence. It was his bright idea to use walkie talkies to keep track of one another while they were on magic source duty. She wholeheartedly began to miss the electronic advancements that the 2000s had developed.
The search was taking forever. A source could be literally anywhere. Jo's knife had been hidden in a discreet place, so she thought it best to make the most secluded places a priority. She didn't know how Kai managed to explore an entire state in just three days.
Unless, there was something he wasn't telling her. Which, at this point, wouldn't come as a surprise. She couldn't forget the fact that she herself, was keeping something from him.
The air was bitter and her jean jacket and hoodie weren't cutting it. She was in desperate need of some new attire for the amount of traveling they were anticipating. She could feel her nose turning red and her fingers getting frost bite.
They had been searching for the past five hours, three of which, they had spent split up. They only scoured the neighborhood in order to find a mode of transportation. And low and behold, they come across and hotwired a red pickup truck. In a State made up of mountains, forests and rocky terrain, there were too many secluded places to count. Bonnie was currently headed upwards towards a mountain, while the last she heard, Kai was near a body of water.
She delved through rock and stone, growing more impatient as time dragged on. She was at a loss for what they were actually supposed be looking for. Magic could be stored in any object.
She kept walking until she reached the top of a small slope that lead straight to a tear-drop shaped, archway. It was outlined by grey and white stone. She pulled out a small flashlight from her pocket, flicked it on and stepped closer to the cave. She could tell from this angle that it ran deep. She prepared to step down and go inside.
The sound of a loud horn caused her to stumble and nearly sent her into cardiac arrest.
She heard Kai laughing before she turned around to face him, perched high in the wide truck. He rolled the window down. "Feel like a food break? I'm starving!"
Bonnie caught her footing and removed her clutched hand from her chest. "What?!" She said breathlessly.
"We've been working for hours, it's play time now!" He said with a big grin. "C'mon, hop in." He waved his hand outside of the window.
She shined her light back at the cave, and reckoned that she would have time to return later. Huffing and puffing, she stomped over to the passenger's side and leaped inside. Thankfully the heat was on full blast. Kai turned them around, the gravel under the tires shuffled them from side to side until they found the main road.
"Was that really necessary?" She asked through gritted teeth.
"No, but it was fun."
"Why did you pick this big truck anyway?"
"Because I knew that we would need to stock up on groceries and some new apparel at some point, so, better to be prepared."
"Oh." She said genuinely surprised. "That was smart."
"Always the tone of surprise, Bon."
Bonnie fastened herself in with her seat-belt.
"I was thinking we could hit up the grocery store first, then we can go to, presumably, a girl's favorite place: the mall, tomorrow. That sound like a plan to you?"
"That's incredibly sexist of you to assume that I like the mall just because I'm a girl."
"Am I wrong?"
Bonnie paused. "I mean...the malls okay." Knowing, truthfully, that the mall was indeed one of her, Elena's and Caroline's favorite hangout spots.
Kai snickered. "Okay."
He turned the radio up and and the song caught Bonnie's attention. She pointed to it. "Is this Aerosmith?"
He grinned. "Well look at you. Glad to know you've got some taste. Know what song it is?"
"Not a clue. I just recognized Steven Tyler's voice."
"Damn, you almost impressed me."
Bonnie bobbed her foot to the beat, then a thought hit her. If she was going to keep up this ruse, she'd better act concerned.
"So what's your big plan to get us home? You can't possibly expect to travel to all fifty states to find a source of magic, let alone the world. It could be anywhere."
"True. Which is why I've been conducting research." He reached into his pocket and pulled out small piece of folded up paper and handed it to her. It was a list of cities.
"Didn't you ever wonder why my bag was so heavy? I packed some books from Portland and other places along the way while I was tracking you; Some of them about occult history, folklore, and journals of other known supernatural beings who commonly associated with Witches. I pinpointed different cities where mass Witch gatherings were likely to occur, because as you know, or as I'm assuming you know, whenever a group of Witches die, they leave behind their essence, in other words-"
"Their magic in that specified area, yeah, I know."
"Very good. So you know where I'm going with this?"
"And are you sure these are all of the potential cities?"
"I can never be too sure. Which is why you're going to help me with the research process. You'll make sure I haven't missed any cities and help me designate new ones."
"Can do." She said as she examined the list. Bonnie hated to admit it, but she had to give credit where it was due. His plan honestly was well-thought-out. Among the cities were: New Orleans, Nova Scotia, Salem, Baltimore and finally, Mystic Falls. She also took note of Kai's penmanship, which was neater than she expected. Most guys that she knew had handwriting similar to that of five year olds.
"What magical event took place in these cities?"
"You'll find that out when you start helping me with the research." He reached over and snatched the paper from her hands, putting it back in his pocket.
They had finally come to a stop in the middle of a supermarket parking lot. It was virtually empty, with the exception of a few cars. Once inside, the sound of generic shopping music hit their ears. The registers were aligned horizontally to the entrance of the store. Further back were the assorted aisles, with a frozen section to the back and left of the aisles, and the produce portion to the right of the entrance. Bonnie grabbed a cart while Kai strolled off to grab and rip open a bag of pork rinds. He crunched loudly as he walked alongside her.
"You're always eating." She commented.
"Yeah, well, I love to eat." His suggestive smile made her stomach churn.
"You and those pork rinds, are disgusting."
"Hey, the pork rinds take offense. And how do you know you don't like them? Have you ever tried them?"
She thought for a moment. Truthfully, he had a point. They just didn't appear to be appetizing. "Fine." She extended her hand towards him and he tipped the bag over and one spilled out onto her hand. She popped it into her mouth. To her surprised, it wasn't that bad. "Well, they're not terrible." She said as she finished chewing.
"See."
She rolled her eyes and walked towards the back of the store towards the frozen section. "Dammit, I should have made a list."
"Nah, we don't need one. We'll just get all the essentials." He opened the freezer door and grabbed some milk. A little further down he picked up some eggs. "Ooo, we need this too." He pulled out a tub of chocolate ice cream. He turned down the aisle and Bonnie followed him with the cart.
"Can't have ice cream without cookies." He said placing yet another package in the cart.
"Actually, you can. And keep in mind that everything you pick up, we're going to have to lug around with us, so, slow down on the shopping."
"Relax, mom. It's not like we actually have to pay for anything." He continued to throw random items in the cart while Bonnie continued to search for more practical produce.
"Uh, is that wheat bread?"
"Yeah, so?" She placed it in the cart.
"So, wheat bread is gross." He snatched a loaf of white bread off the shelf and tossed it into the cart.
"When you eat white bread, it dissolves into sugar, unlike whole wheat."
Kai made a mock yawning face. In turn, Bonnie threw a small loaf of white bread at him. Unfortunately, he caught it with his free hand.
"Ya know, it's not good to waste food, Bon." He put the loaf back on the mantle. She jerked the cart in his direction, prompting him to move forward. Kai laughed and she shook her head, beaming.
They approached the next aisle, which happened to be the cereal aisle. Kai went straight for the ones containing the most saccharine: Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Despite her reservations, she couldn't help but become a tad bit excited at the sight of some of the cereal that she hadn't seen since she was a kid. Kai came over to where she was standing and examined the boxes she had picked out.
"Oreo O's, Cinnamon Marshmallow Scooby-Doo and Count Chocula? Now look who's being unhealthy."
"Hey, I haven't been able to get ahold of those since I was eight. You, on the other hand, have had them at your disposal for the past eighteen years. What's your excuse?"
"Me? I just like sweets."
"I'm gonna go find more wholesome options." Bonnie went to the far left of the store and made sure to carefully inspect the fruits and vegetables before selecting them. Kai returned with a basket full of junk food; Everything from pizza to candy.
"You know all that junk food is gonna catch up to you, one day."
"Not as long as we're stuck here." He said emptying his basket.
"It will when we get out." Bonnie paused. That was the first time she had referenced letting him out. She was becoming a bit too comfortable with this scheme of hers. She continued to shop for produce, hoping Kai hadn't noticed her sudden anxiety.
"Thanks for the concern, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."
Bonnie wrapped up a stock of celery and added it to the cart. "Okay, I think we've got everything we need."
They returned to the front of the store and Bonnie began bagging their groceries. Meanwhile, Kai went out to the truck and drove up closer to store entrance. As they filled the trunk, Bonnie was wracking her brain about the copious amounts of questions she had for him once they got back home.