Chapter 16-

I failed.

They were dead.

Will she ever forgive me?

Can I forgive myself?

If i'm to die for trying to save my friend from unimaginable pain then I'll accept my fate with open arms. They weren't good people by any means but I loved her enough to try. I loved her enough to go against my conscience. I'll say it again… I'm sorry. Can I rest now?

I'm so tired.

The Mystic Falls hospital had never been so busy before except maybe flu season. After the Gilbert funeral, friends and family still visited the one girl who had yet to wake up. There was never a moment that Maverick was left alone. Even after visiting hours Petra managed to sneak in to watch over the girl just in case anything happened.

More than once she had considered giving the girl some of her blood but she was too close to death for it to do more than heal. She could accidentally turn and consequently lose her magic. Petra couldn't do that to her friend.

Elena was also a frequent visitor. After being brought to the hospital they only kept her for a day saying that besides being fatigued she was perfectly fine. That didn't sit well with Elena who had lost her parents and was about to lose her best friend. How could she be fine when those closest to her weren't. There had to be some sort of pain, some form of punishment that would suffice to make her, the golden girl, feel less lucky. Less ok.

There were no words that could be said by anybody to make the situation ok. Mystica Falls had lost two pillars of their community and were on the verge of losing one of their young.

Unknown to everyone else, this situation was so stressful that Bonnie accidentally triggered her magic earlier than expected.

After hearing about the car accident Bonnie had gone to see both girls as soon as she could. She had been told nothing but that they were ok, and it was true for Elena. Upon seeing Maverick, she freaked out.

Nobody had told her one of her best friends was not only comatose but hypothermic to the point she had tubes sticking in and out of her performing different things. It was too much for the youngest Bennett witch and she started to cause a power shortage until Sheila realized what was happening and took her from the hospital.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked her grandmother.

Sheila pursed her lips, not having wanted this monumental moment to be in the days of despair. "Simply put Bonnie, you're a witch like I am."

Bonnie's POV-

My grams was crazy. I already knew she was off; I mean the lady drinks like a fish and teaches occult studies for a living. If anything, I should have been thought she was missing marbles, but she was my grandmother and the closest thing I had to a mother since mine wasn't the best. Point is that I would believe this woman or concede to her on any point but this, this witch thing, was going too far.

I waited until we were at her house to finally speak.

"You think you're a witch?" I started. "And that I'm one too because the hospital's power was wonky as hell."

My grams cut me with a look that let me know I wasn't being cute. "That power was just fine until you saw how badly Maverick was injured. Even now, as confused as you are, I can feel it swirling around in you having been finally unleashed. You can't tell me you don't feel it."

Well, I don't know what magic is supposed to feel like, but I did feel more open now. Like years of pressure had finally been released and I was no longer tense. I could even feel the energy around me like they were calling out to me. I couldn't meet my gram's eyes, refusing to believe it.

"I'm going to my room." I murmured and passed her by. I needed time to think. The whole thinking I'm a witch thing can wait later but right now I just wanted to find it in myself to be calm for Maverick.

Please be ok.

Magic.

A fresh wave of a witch coming into her powers flooded my system.

Bonnie Bennet had come into her powers way earlier than expected.

Shit, I needed to get up. I need to be there for her. I know she won't listen to Sheila, so I was next best.

I need to get out of here.

I don't want to be here anymore.

But does it really matter what I want?

If I stayed here forever would their lives be better even if all I did was a few changes? There were still Vampires, I could feel them coming but I wonder why there aren't more. Maybe Sheila was doing something to keep them out. She could protect them while I'm gone.

But I didn't want to be gone.

I don't know what I wanted. I felt so alone trapped in this room filled with light. There was no place to hide. I was exposed to who I am and where I was. I missed the darkness with its subtle lights, allowing me to hide if I wanted or trying to find me so it could always bring me back. I never thought that light could feel so lonely.

No, light or darkness could feel lonely, but the right kind never made you feel this way.

This light was clinical, scrutinizing me for being tainted. And darkness would lie to me about what I do, hiding my secrets so well I couldn't find them.

Bonnie, Caroline, Elena, Matt, Tyler, Vicki, Petra and Windy; they were my light. And I was their protective darkness.

I was done with this, the light that offered no warmth and the darkness that had abandoned me.

Almost as if realizing it my body came into view. I hadn't even noticed that I was just all thought, hiding from myself because I was scared. If I'm being honest, I still was but there were worse things to be afraid of. I wasn't done yet.

I pushed myself up from the ground and watched everything transform from an overblown white room to Zephir's realm. I was standing right in front of the pirate and watched them wave their hand. I felt a light weight all over my body and looked down to see myself dressed in simple black shorts and a matching top.

They held out their hand for me but for some reason I was hesitant. "Guilt, sadness, fear." They listed off the emotions swirling around in me. "They let you know that you're alive. You lost a battle because your opponent didn't play fair and because of that you shouldn't get so lost. You don't get beaten because of a move you think has just cost you everything."

"So, what do I do?" I whispered. I looked into their eyes only to see a fire that I wanted to match. "Tell me, what do I do now Zephir?"

They smirked so sharply I felt it cut through my soul. I took their hand and grasped it tightly. I was holding on for dear life and some much-needed confidence.

"Now you win the war."

Chapter 17-

Bonnie's POV-

For the last few days after grams told me I was a witch I've been plagued with visions of people with red eyes and black veins. They were gangly and moved unnaturally. I could see that at one point in time they probably were regular humans but now they were just monstrous. They hissed, grunted and ran so fast they were a blur.

Eventually one of them would spot me and start walking to me. I would try to run away but something would push me toward the red eyes. Just before they could touch me I would wake up in a cold sweat. I should have told grams the first time, but that woman was off her rocker, and I did not need her saying this confirmed me being a witch. No, this had to be a side effect of me being worried about Maverick.

Whatever that nightmare was I was going to ignore it. It means nothing to me, it's just a manifestation of my worry.

How long could I lie to myself?

Tyler's POV-

With Maverick out of commission I was feeling more than lost. The only person I could really talk too about everything was comatose but thank God her body temperature has finally come back up. They stopped the treatments two weeks ago so all we were worried about was her comatose state.

Elena had been understandably absent, but we all made sure to call so she knew she wasn't alone. I couldn't imagine losing my parents in the same accident where I was the only survivor. It was too close even if she didn't see them die. I just kept hoping Elena and Jeremy would be ok and eventually start being happy again.

I felt a bit regretful that I wasn't sad like everyone else was. I mean the Gilberts were nice, don't get me wrong, but after what Maverick told me when we were thirteen, I couldn't see them the same anymore. Now that she was like this, I started feeling angry towards them.

It's their fault I could lose one of my best friends. Each day it felt like my heart was slowly beating and matching hers. What happens when it stops completely? Until the last beat had never seemed so real until now.

Being in Zephir's realm helped me gather my magic and work it so that when I came back into my body it wouldn't be hard to handle. While staying here I was allowed to watch my friends through Zeph's mirror. Tyler was in solitude most of the time. The Donovan's were trying to get life back to normal but every day I could see Vicki struggling. I felt guilty leaving her alone.

Bonnie was on the outs with Sheila and basically avoiding everyone. Caroline was doing her best to cheer up Elena and Jeremy while they stayed with her. When she wasn't with them, she let herself cry worrying about me. I could even see Kelly keeping up with her job as the hospital's receptionist and trying to be a good mother for her children.

Most of all was my sweet sister Windy. She was sleeping in my room every night I wasn't there and curling up with my stuffed animals. Petra tries her best, but I knew Windy. She'd only be better when she gets what she wants, me.

They weren't my only focus though. I kept an eye on Stefan who still showed up in town every now and then, but Damon was nowhere to be found. Neither was Lenzo but that could be because of a number of reasons. Los, my favorite bird, was watching the hospital and refused to leave from his tree unless he had to eat. I missed him.

Through all this I hadn't seen any signs of the Feral's. As soon as I went down, they just stopped showing up.

"Where are you?" I thought aloud, my eyes trained on the dark woods in front of me.

"Away. That woman is hoping that she scared you enough that you won't bother waking up, so she'll no longer have use for the Feral's."

I made a noise in the back of my throat.

Zephir walked to stand beside me. They watched me through narrow my eyes when I refused to look away from the screen. "When do you plan on waking up?" They asked me suspiciously.

"When the time is right." I turned away from him and headed towards one of the many bookshelves in this place.

"The time is right now."

"I will go back when I feel ready to Pirate."

They watched me for another moment. "You're scared."

I looked down at my feet hating that they were right. This sinking feeling of dread in my stomach hasn't let up. I had never felt fear like this before.

"I was helpless. The elements which were supposed to be my friends turned their backs on me. I was left there to die and if it hadn't been for bunny boy coming back for me, you and I wouldn't even be talking right now. How can I possibly fight her if she has everyone in the palm of her hands?" The fears I had been holding deep in me spilled from my mouth before I could even think. My eyes felt hot, and I turned around, so I was facing Zeph but still kept my eyes down. I didn't want them to see the coming tears.

"I only have the power you gave me Zeph, but is it enough?" I choked looking up into their eyes. Zeph's face softened seeing the small tears flow down the sides of my face. They opened their mouth to say something but before they could I was walking back towards the mirror.

My worst fear was being played out in front of me.

I could see Bonnie walking in the woods but looked like she was struggling. I saw the fear on her face, the way she struggled with every step. She was being led there.

"What the fuck?"

Feral's popped out from everywhere, surrounding her in a ritualistic way. One of them approached her with red scleras but their irises were white, and their pupils clouded. I had never seen a feral look like that before, so empty. There was no need to feed, there was nothing in any of them.

"Please… don't." Bonnie whimpered as the feral reached out.

"BONNIE!"

Bonnie's POV-

My dream was coming true. The red eyes, the thin bodies. God was this how I was going to die.

As one approached me, I wanted so badly to tune back but I couldn't. Whatever had brought me here in the first place intended to keep me here.

"Please… don't." As one of their hands got closer. I closed my eyes and expected it to touch me, but it never came. The air in front of me moved so quickly I had to open my eyes and see what happened. That thing wasn't in front of me anymore and instead was nailed to the tree with wood in its heart.

A boy around my age quickly took the wood out and started on the other ones. He moved swiftly and with practiced grace but no matter how skillfully he moved there were just too many of them. Soon two of them had him pinned about to rip his head off. I didn't want to see that; I couldn't let him die.

I don't know what came over me but one minute I'm so terrified of what could happen and the next the wind began picking up around us. The strength of the wind rivaled the strongest tornadoes, but I was completely unaffected, at least physically. I was slowly getting tired, but I didn't relent about whatever I was doing until the boy was freed and those things were further away from me.

After he was out of their arms my body could no longer support me. I dropped but didn't hit the ground. The boy I had saved had me in his arms but wasn't really looking at me but at my nose. His arms tensed under me making me wonder what was wrong.

"Your nose is bleeding." He said through gritted teeth. It was too dark for me to see his face, but I swear I saw a flash of red. "And sadly, I'm not the only one who can smell it."

I saw what he meant. The things were back up, hunger on their faces and looking at me. I was even more terrified than I had been earlier. I was weak, he was alone. We didn't stand a chance in hell of surviving this.

That's what I had thought before the most otherworldly thing happened.

The moon was blanketed by thousands of black birds. They were silent, moving as one unit.

The sight was petrifying…

And yet…

The most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Boom! How's that for a return?

I have to admit I was lost the first time I wrote this. It was completely different and rushed. This… is actually palatable.

That said, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and forgive me and my long break. I'm sorry but I can't say it won't happen again. I can promise that I will update you if anything like this happens again and will try to be back like i used to.

Also, Bon got her powers not like she did in the show, but you know i have to be dramatic. Plus, this way felt the most conducive with my story. And Bunny boy aka Hero Hair aka Stefan Salvatore has appeared so if you do love him, you got him this chapter. He will be back (probably for the next one if i feel like it) but so will so many others. Plus, I did promise some tvd book inclusions. I hadn't forgotten it just hasn't come around yet.

So, with all that said I missed you guys and writing this. Wild-Light has had two updates since the break but nothing like this. Check that out if you want and R&R to say whatever you want about this story because remember, it's inclusive and for the people.

Until Next Time - BigSmallWonder