Bonnie
This was weird.
They had not only gotten stuck together in this dimension but they had also shared breakfast and it was a tasty one too. Though she would never say that out loud.
Damon proceeded to pour yet another glass of bourbon and Bonnie kind of just let herself stay in her seat for a few moments.
She and Damon had never been the friendly type, he was usually an obnoxious asshole and she would give him aneurysms. The only time they seemed to work well was when they were fighting against the common enemy, and even so, Bonnie would quickly go her merry way after her deed was done.
So, now that they had eaten the vamp cakes, what was she supposed to do? Stay and mingle with Damon, of all people? The vampire that seemed to be on a mission to destroy his liver? Or should she stay and endure his arrogance and corny jokes?
They had never been alone for more than just a couple of moments because they couldn't stand each other, and that sentiment was still very much alive. However, being here changed things; shifted them in a forceful way and she didn't know what to make of that yet.
Yes, she wanted to find a way out of this place on her own terms and no, she didn't trust Damon at all but he was still the only one there with her to go through whatever it was that was to come. And what was even to come?
Bonnie had no clue where she was and how to escape it, her companion had left to do whatever it was that Damon liked doing and she was left pondering her choices in the Salvatore kitchen.
She massaged her neck and rested her elbows on the counter. She could maybe go back to her own house and try to understand the Grimoire, maybe if she tried hard enough, she'd be able to go back to the Old Witches' House and contact them, maybe she could even somehow reach Grams. With time of course.
Grams.
Bonnie loved Sheila but what had she been thinking when she sent her here? She thought that peace would involve a heartfelt reunion with her family and not ghost town with Damon. The young girl tried to reason this outcome. Maybe this was just a stopping point to her true end, like a bridge between the world they had left and the happiness that was awaiting her. Even if that was a possibility, another thing begged the question: why was this place so damn empty?
Did they cause this emptiness by being sort of dropped here or did this mean that there was a reason why this place was vacated in the first place? With the way things usually went for her, it would probably be the latter. A chill ran through her spine as she realized that.
Maybe they had to take a different approach than what they one they'd taken before and look at things through a new lens. Clearly, going around knocking doors that would never be answered was a waste of time and energy, so they needed to think outside the box. More so her than Damon because she was sure his brain was full on bourbon by now.
To be honest, even if he was being fully cooperative, Bonnie wasn't sure Damon would be of much help. Outside of antagonizing her and making diabolical plans, she wasn't sure the Salvatore would be able to think straight under the current circumstances. That and he was probably missing home and everything he had left behind, or maybe he just wanted to drink away his pain and forget his past life ever existed. Either way, she had no true answer to Damon's madness, she doubted that even he could understand it.
Bonnie shook her head; trying to untangle Damon's modus operandis was a difficult mission as it was, let alone now that they were still trying to figure out what was going on.
With a deep breath she cracked her knuckles and tried to think from a new point of view. In the past, she would have resorted to the Witches on The Other Side for some guidance but that wasn't exactly possible, at least not for now. She had to count on herself even if she couldn't practice magic. And maybe that was one of the problems, she often times used her magic as a shield, it came natural to her but she had become somewhat dependent on it. Now that she couldn't access her powers, she had to find other sources of strength but how does one do that?
Her entire life, Bonnie had perfected the art of being visibly invisible, smiling when required and doing what other teens did. Though she always felt loved whenever she was around her best friends and her Grams, Bonnie never felt truly carefree. The weight of the unwanted responsibility her father placed on her forced her to grow up faster, to think about bills, rent, having enough food, checking her appliances, making sure her car was up to date all the while having to worry about her grades and maintaining a semblance of a social life. Not to mention her summer job with Matt as a life guard. It was a lot and draining but at least she felt alive and she made it through it all.
That Bonnie would've found the strength to get out of this strange place, that Bonnie would've had at least a decent game plan by now, with or without magic, she would've found the answer she was looking for. This one, however, was struggling hard.
It's fascinating what breaking down one's spirit does to a person. And Bonnie Bennett was shattered. There was a lot that she hadn't told her best friends, or anyone else for that matter, but those were things that were going to remain buried within herself forever.
The young girl shook her head. No, this was not the time or the place to have an emotional walk down memory lane. She needed to keep her head in the right place and figure out how she could be with her family again. That was all that mattered after all, the only reason she was trying so hard to find out what was going on.
With a sigh, she poured more coffee onto her mug and held it with both hands. She could feel the warmth in her palms but it did nothing to soothe her spirit. Looking out into the big window, she noticed something among the trees but it was fast so she didn't get what type of animal she saw. Maybe a deer or something of that kind. Either way, she kept her gaze out in the greenery and let her mind wonder.
She vaguely remembered that her biology teacher once said that in the sea some species hid somewhere and stayed there so that they could escape the bigger predators. Taking that as an example and using the current place they were in; another question came to her. Were they the predators or the prey? If so, how would they know if she was devoid of magical powers and Damon was going through liquor like it was water?
She needed to think and assess this new place they were in. Like, go through every rock and make sure they weren't in any danger.
She exhaled harshly and closed her eyes, this was crazy. Maybe she was overreacting and acting on her survival instincts but she couldn't really help herself. There was nothing calm and assuring about this situation they were in and after having been through hell in the last two and a half years, she couldn't just be too naïve.
"Don't you get tired of thinking?" he spoke from the door frame "It's like you don't know when to stop doing it"
She turned around and rested against the counter with an annoyed expression "Thinking was never your forte anyways" she put the mug down and wiped her hands on her jeans "I think I'm going back to my house"
"Isn't it depressing there?" he quipped as he followed her to his front door "I mean, it is a Bennett house so that shouldn't be all that surprising"
She gasped hating the judging tone in his voice "You are an asshole. You just had to say something didn't you?"
"I'm keeping it real and I'm just telling you like it is" He shrugged "If you wanted me to sugarcoat things maybe you should have failed at bringing Stefan back from The Other Side and not me"
She shook her head not believing what he had just said "You know it wasn't my fault!"
He looked at something, not quite meeting her eyes.
Yes, he did know that she wasn't completely at fault but still, it's not like it made a difference in the grand scheme of things. They were still dead and stuck in this place.
He took his drink to his lips "To-ma-to, to-mah-toe"
She bit her lip clearly upset "You're an asshole" she reiterated before storming away in her car.
Damon closed the door not really bothered if he had hurt her or not. Yeah, maybe he had gone too far and, to be honestly, he only realized what he'd said after uttering the words and though he felt like he should take them back, he didn't.
He felt like when his life was finally getting better, it was cut short. And yeah, he was prepared to accept his new fate but that didn't mean that he would blindly ignore the fact the he was here and dead, and Elena was back there alive. If only he had reached Bonnie sooner or if she had tried harder to bring him back from The Other Side, he would now be able to be with the woman he loved and actually be a good brother for once.
Instead, he was here with a magic-free Bonnie, in a replica of Mystic Fucking Falls and his hunger was getting stronger by the minute. The blood bags weren't doing their usual job of keeping his thirst away and he was sure that he would end up going crazy.
He knew he had pushed a button or several, but he didn't have it in him to care. He needed answers and Bonnie needed to get out of her feelings so that they could sort this out at some point.
They had been in this place for little over forty-eight hours and he was getting restless. The questions that she'd asked were valid and it irritated him to no point not knowing what was going on and why the hell this town was empty.
He'd been a vampire for long enough, and even if he hadn't, he would still feel like something was up and it was coming to bite him in the ass. Fucking hell, Damon couldn't even find peace in death, there was always a catch. Always. And Miss Sensitivity was in her feelings and was useless.
Great. He had to take matters into his own hands then.
They'd already gone to the Witches house and that was a bust but he hadn't tried his crypt, and who knows, he might find something in there. Or maybe it'd be another fail but at this point, failing was something that was very known to him. Almost like a second skin. He downed his drink and headed straight to his Camaro.
He drove fast, the green blurred as he stained the road with tire marks. The manor was getting smaller and smaller and so was his emotional control. He drove like a mad man, not because he was under the spell of blood and alcohol – though that was part of the motive – but because there was nothing that upset him more than being helpless. He hated it and he was going to do something about it.
He got there in record time, as expected, and stumbled his way to the old crypt. He pushed the stone door open, destroyed a few cow webs and stared at the marble tomb standing there so immaculate, untouched.
With a hard exhale, he touched the stone so as to push it away and a zing went through his arm. It was so strong that it left him paralyzed for a few seconds. The veins in his left arm took in a dark shade and he was sure that he felt his canines rip through his gums like sharpened butcher's knives. The vampire fell to his knees and clutched his shirt.
"Fuck" he muttered with a strained voice.
His heart was pounding and by the time he could feel his senses go back to normal, he left the Salvatore crypt altogether with a strange feeling and a hunger that couldn't be tamed no matter how much he tried. He sped all the way back to the manor and devoured the remaining blood bags in a single take.
This was slowly getting out of control and he needed to do something about it, but what could he do exactly? Back in his Mystic Falls, he would go to Bonnie and demand some sort of explanation from the witch but now that she was useless, he couldn't exactly force an answer out of her. The worst thing was, he had no one else that could give him answers, at least where this ghost town was concerned.
Right there, a solution popped up in his mind. If he couldn't find the answers he needed right here, then he'd have to chase them to wherever they were. Once again, he got in his Camaro and left fast.
She pushed the door open with rage. Who the hell did Damon think he was? It was not like she intended to make him part from his life! She too was stuck in here and that was not her fault!
God, he could be such a damn asshole! He walked this world like he owned it and treated her as if she was his personal maid or something. Ugh.
For someone that was as old as he was, Damon could certainly be such a child about things. She was so tired of taking the blame for things that were completely out of her control. What was she supposed to do if Damon was feeling upset? He was not her responsibility and she had her own feelings too. This situation left her upset, sad and it triggered all sorts of emotions out of her so why wasn't she allowed the benefit of expressing them just as he had? Why was she supposed to have all the answers in the tip of her tongue as if she were a fucking Oracle? Why?
She was pacing around her room with urgency. There was nothing she could do about this and Damon wasn't being of any help at all. He made it so difficult to even trust him, let alone have some kind of alliance. She hated it and was so close to hate him again. Scratch that; right now, she hated him. His behaviour wasn't an excuse to go around and treat her like shit, she would not allow it.
What bothered her the most was that she couldn't help feeling hurt by what he said. She really wanted to ignore his words and brush it off as Damon being an insane sociopath but the truth was that she was more than hurt, she was gutted.
He reminded her that her empty house heavily resembled her life. With nothing and no one around, only her in a middle of a proverbial storm. A deadbeat vampire mother, an assassinated father, a dead grandmother, no friends, no spirits, no magic and not even her old self. It was like she had died for real; her soul was lost and she was just a vessel.
She was tired of it. Tired of feeling sad and alone, tired of being stepped on like she was a doormat, tired of being helpless and tired of pain, tired of Damon Salvatore, tired of being tired. She just wanted to be happy and even that seemed like a ghost of a dream.
She was trying hard to stay strong and find a way out of this but that miserable vampire just knew exactly what to say to push her to the dark pit she was desperately trying to crawl out of. She hated that he had so much power over her emotions, even if she fought them at all times.
She didn't understand why Damon triggered her so much but he did.
"No" she said aloud "You don't control me" she spoke to no one really because she was alone in her room. With that realization, she sat on her bed and sighed. This was insane, she started out the day with a will to find some way to fix this whole mess and now she was having yet another emotional spiral.
Awesome, she thought dryly.
With a huff she reached for her Grimoire and picked up where she had left off. She grabbed one of her empty notebooks and started writing down some of the words in the hopes to familiarize her brain with them. As she jotted them down, a memory came to her. She was at Grams' house in her kitchen, the kettle was boiling and a slice of Sheila's grapefruit cake sprinkled with honey on top was in front of her.
"I don't get it, why do I have to write them down? I just need to say it right" a sixteen-year-old Bonnie Bennet said.
"Because, child, saying the words correctly isn't enough; you have to understand them" Sheila spoke in her soft voice "That is very important"
Sigh "I know but like writing them doesn't make me understand them better Grams. Latin's a dead language anyways"
The older woman poured the water into their tea cups "And that's where your age shows baby"
Bonnie snorted "How would you feel if I said that same thing about you whenever you call me because you can't work out your Facebook page?"
Sheila gasped "Bonnie Marie Bennett, watch what you say next"
The young girl smiled rather easily "See? Not cool"
She shook her head and took her granddaughter's hands into her mature ones "Darling, each word has power and that's what makes them carry your energy and allow you to make your spells work. If you do not understand and respect what you're saying, then it all falls flat." she then touched the Grimoire's yellowed page "Even the very paper of every page in this book was made with purpose and a certain intention. You have to feel it within you core baby"
The teenager touched the page lightly "What if I don't know how to do that?"
Sheila's smile was bright "It takes time baby girl but I'll teach you. You just have to be willing to learn" her tone then took a somber turn "However, even if I'm no longer here with you, you should know that us witches feel everything deeply and sometimes our feelings cloud our judgement and the way we practice magic. So, you need to work out on what's going on inside your heart"
Bonnie's eyebrow furrowed "What do you mean? You'll still be here Grams, we have time. Is something wrong?" she asked anxious.
"No angel, but you should be prepared for everything" she said "You should know that our lives do not belong to us, we each have a purpose and I hope you fulfill yours to the very extent of your abilities."
"I have to protect our town, just like you did"
Once again, Sheila shook her head "No baby, you have to live your life, you have to be happy. Protecting this town is a part of our legacy but it is not your burden child."
Bonnie chuckled "I'm confused now. Should I be happy and ignore whatever evil that comes here?"
"You should protect your friends and the people of Mystic Falls – yes – but never at the expense of your own life baby" she explained softly "That burden was imposed on us by force, that is not our true calling. And before you ask more questions Bonnie, that's a story for another day. Now, stick to today's lesson"
"Okay Miss Sheila" the young girl said with a loving tone.
Back to her new reality, Bonnie smiled with sadness. She hadn't understood her grandmother's words then and she didn't fully understand them now, but one thing she knew for sure was what Grams had meant when she said she should value her life. She got it, now. Even if it was late and she was facing another crisis. What mattered was that she could finally see it, she needed to put herself first, she just needed to learn how.
With another deep breath, she started carefully writing down the first words and before she knew it, hours had gone by. She stared outside her window, the sun was setting and the birds were now in their warm nests. She closed her books and let herself appreciate the calmness of her empty street.
There was a time where she would sit by her window and get lost in a mystery book, or a romance, she would even write her own poetry in a little notebook that no one knew about. Other times though, she just sat there thinking about life, thinking about her future and what path she'd choose for her life. She'd think about Abby, too. Why she hadn't stayed, why she never even bothered to call or visit, not once.
Growing up with a mother that abandons you does a whole lot of harm to a girl. She becomes withdrawn, self-conscious and self-aware, she struggles a lot and doesn't understand what about her made it so hard to love. Add that to an absent father, then there's an entire case. The fact that Rudy Bennett never even once spoke about her mother was telling. Even when Bonnie would ask as a child, he would always find a way to distract her.
Maybe it was too painful for him, she pondered, or maybe he was feeling guilty.
Either way, Bonnie was still left with questions and that half-assed excuse that Abby gave her about why she left, left a bad taste in her mouth. Bonnie knew she was lying, she had to because there was no way that a three-year-old Elena Gilbert needed protecting more than a three-year-old Bonnie Bennett needed a mother. It just didn't make any sense whatsoever and nobody was threatening Elena's life back then, so why use her as an excuse? Unfortunately, Bonnie wouldn't have an answer for that any time soon.
Abby made her choices and there was nothing that Bonnie could do to change it. With a sigh, she decided that there was something that she could do now; she needed to hit the store and get some groceries. It seemed as if they were going to stay here for a while and she refused to share another meal with Damon Salvatore so she had to restock her kitchen, and maybe get some candles. Retail therapy never hurt nobody and Bonnie doubted that she'd have to pay for anything.
With that thought in mind, she quickly parked in the barely empty parking lot and picked out a shopping cart. Going through the different aisles felt like home, in the sense that this was something that she had to do back home and now it gave her a little bit of peace. Bonnie decided that she would take a couple of scented candles while she went through the different smells. Even if she wasn't planning on staying here long, she wanted to at least make her house a home, or something close to it.
Today had been emotionally draining, again, and the young girl decided that she needed to get some control of her emotions. She needed to find a balance and to achieve that she had to be in a relaxed state.
She unloaded her shopping bags and rested the items on the wooden kitchen table. She was starving, so she put aside the things she would need to cook something tasty and took the paint tin into her hands. The new pantone she chose would definitely suit her bedroom and, at the same time, serve her as a distraction from everything. She rested it back on the table and started chopping the onions, garlic and basil quickly. Not long after, the smell of spices was filling up the kitchen and Bonnie was salivating by the time was pasta was al dente.
She poured a glass of red wine and set the table for one, her plate was now served and she had a sip of her drink while her food cooled down a bit. She let the taste travel through her buds in an exploratory journey that was becoming more and more interesting by the second.
It was funny though, she had never been a wine kind of person, she used to prefer beers because they went down easier and it was all that the kids used to drink back then. That was until Caroline Forbes snatched one of Liz's bottles and they all went to Tyler's to drink it. They hated it at first but after a few glasses it turned into the best thing that they'd ever tasted. Of course, the hungover that came the morning after wasn't so glorious but that was the fun of it. The trial and error of being sixteen, of making mistakes and making friends, of living your life to the fullest.
She sighed deeply into her glass. She missed being that girl again and she never even realized how much of a true friend Caroline had been. Not only for being by her side through all of this supernatural mess, but also because she was hellbent on providing them the biggest and best experiences all the time. Bonnie had found that urge equally silly and endearing but now she looked at it differently, they took things for granted and those innocent moments should be cherished. She most certainly did, now.
Bonnie had a smile and quickly shook herself of those thoughts. "One crisis at a time Bonnie" she said and had a go at her dinner.
He was smashed. Not just drunk or inebriated, Damon Salvatore was carrying his weight in liquor... and was still driving. Usually, he wouldn't give a damn because his vampire reflexes were too awesome to let him actually hurt someone; secondly, he could make any accident disappear with his powers and, third, he had absolutely no shits to give.
He felt no guilt or remorse because guess what? He had yet to see another person that wasn't Bonnie Bennett. That for sure, had to be his punishment, his personal hell if you will.
Gahh! He was a man on a mission and nothing would take him away from it. Granted, he wasn't his sober self but who cares? What happened back at the crypt was shady and, if anything, it meant that there was more to this place than what they knew so far. Which, was nothing.
He made a quick left; his car swerved a bit but he got it back on track. He wasn't sure where exactly he was going but his instinct was leading him somewhere. Right now, think hurt and psychoanalyzing was a bore so he was just following that wave of rebellion and trusting his gut.
His pale hand ran through his wild jet-black hair. He felt like pulling it out of its scalp. His hunger was too strong now and he kept thinking about draining someone dry. If only there was a cute co-ed somewhere looking to have some fun... he missed it. Missed the chase, taking someone and seducing them into his trap, the way they would moan out in pleasure when he was literally taking their life away but only to the point of near-death. He was no Ripper, he liked his victims alive, he considered them his personal blood banks and killing someone just because was so boring anyway. Only Stefan would find satisfaction in it.
His gums itched as he thought back to those memories. He could feel the veins in his face show and his grip on the steering wheel was iron-clad. He was shifting without his own permission. Damon craned his neck; he was not Stefan. He wasn't some idiot newbie that couldn't control his power. He was more than seasoned, he was the perfect killing machine, he had it under control.
He picked up on a particular smell and he thought for sure that he was going crazy. It smelled exactly like her, sweet and pure, vanilla and daisies – her favorite shampoo. The dark-haired vampire shook his head.
No, he was drunk and high on blood. There was no way that his senses were right, not where this scent was concerned. However, and despite his internal fight, Damon followed that scent like a moth to a flame and with each mile, his sanity seemed to slip away a little bit. He was in a desperate and highly emotional state, he was almost certain that he would find dust but that one bit, the one the still hope for something was strong enough to feed him this illusion. He was going to see her again, or maybe it was going to be just a mirage but even so, he wanted it badly. More than anything, more than his own life, he wanted to see her again.
When his car came to a stop, Damon looked at the bar that stood in front of him. The very first bar he had brought Elena to when she had found out about being adopted. His heart stopped for a millisecond and he inhaled deeply. Her perfume was strong in the air and he cursed. He closed his eyes and decided that he would not be to blame if everything went to shit now, he was a starving man and she had always been his oxygen.
The lights were on, though Damon couldn't really tell if this was true or if his mind was making things up. His steps were both careful and urgent, lost and certain, and it wasn't long until he pushed the door open.
Bonnie dragged her mattress to hall and rested it against the wall. With the palm of her hand, she wiped the sweat off her forehead and sighed "Okay, I think this is it. I can start now"
She took the big brush and dipped it in the plastic palette. The first contact the brush made with the wall was something foreign yet strangely familiar. Her wrist moved as if it had its own life, the strokes were swift and delicate. The warm salmon tone gave her room another vibrancy, a frequency that truly matched her own. Soon, the smell of acetone and new organisms breaking out into the air, filled the room.
She got lost in her task. The once controlled movements became loose, free and so did she. It was like she was downloading all of her worries, mistakes and troubles onto the paint and turning them into something beautiful.
It felt like the start of something good. Like she hadn't lived the last three years in agony. It was like she felt more in touch with the old Bonnie. Oh, how she had completely forgotten her love for painting and drawing. She used to love buying blank canvas and filling them up with whatever she felt like. Interesting enough, Rudy had started giving her these canvas as a way to shut her up about her mom or when he was in a meeting and Sheila wasn't available to babysit.
Regardless, she had found a passion. There were many things she enjoyed doing in life but nothing came close to creating art or performing a spell.
She hummed distractedly as she continued with her task.
It was almost 4 o'clock in the morning when Bonnie woke up thirsty. She had painted almost half of her room and decided to call it quits when the clock it midnight. Even though there was another room in her house, Bonnie decided that sleeping in the sofa would be a better choice than to sleep in a place where her dad did. In another reality, that is.
She planted her naked feet on the cold floor and sleepily made her way to the fridge. She grabbed a bottle of water a chugged it down fast. Feeling refreshed, Bonnie played with the cap a bit and looked out of her window and into the sky. Tonight was a starry night, no sight of the moon though, but still, a beautiful night.
The girl streched, let out a yawn and turned to go back to her living room. Her heartbeat dipped as she saw a shadowed figure standing by the frame, the face completely hidden.
She gulped and squared her shoulders "What do you want Damon?" her voice came out breathy.
He chuckled but remained unresponsive, that was an annoying trait he had.
"Damon, if you have nothing to say at all then leave. It's late and I'm too tiredto fight you" she said at once ready to go past him.
When she felt his hold, her entire body froze. This was the hold that haunted her, the one that she would never forget no matter how hard she tried. This hold terrified her.
"Surprised to see me?"
She was the one silent now, she couldn't even utter a single word even if she wanted to. She could feel her body shutting down.
A pale finger curled under her china and she was forced to look at him, to see his eyes "Say my name" he demanded.
Bonnie's jaw remained wired shut so he added pressure on his hold making her wimper "Say it!"
She shook her head and fought the tears that started lining up her eyes.
He ran his nose thorugh her jaw line "You will say it or shall I kill Rudy all over again?"
She was shaking now but still managed to say "You... you can't... do this"
With a quick move, he had her pinned against the wall. Her father was now standing right in front of her, his face twisted with pain "Save me Bonnie, please"
She tried to reach out to him but her hands were glued against the wall.
"Save me Bonnie! Save me please!" the man pleaded with such emotion that left her unbalanced.
She was crying now. It was of no use to try and fight those furtive tears, not right now "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I love you"
Rudy's face was now stern, he'd stopped crying "If you loved me, you'd saved me. I died because of you Bonnie!"
"No..." she whispered.
"Yes" he countered "You did this to me"
She spoke in such low voice that if he wasn't a vampire, he wouldn't have heard her at all "Silas, please, make it stop. I'm begging you"
The supernatural stood right beside her father and smiled "There, you said it. It wasn't so hard, now was it?"
"Just make it stop please" she repeated.
With a bow, Silas sliced Rudy's throat with leisure. He had a smile to go with it as the other man choked on his blood. Bonnie shut her eyes closed and shook her head "This is not real, this is not real, this is not real"
"Oh dear Bonnie, it's real" he started and touched her shoulder. She flinched but he ignored it "You think can get rid of me so easily, I thought you gave me more credit than that. You offended me Bonnie, I have to teach you how to properly respect your elders"
She looked at him dead in the eyes "You're not real and you have no power. You don't scare–"
He placed his finger on her lips "Hush now, I know that you weren't about to lie to me so let's skip that whole moment shall we? In fact, let's just kill this conversation, you upset me Bonnie"
Before she had the chance to properly dissect his words, his hand went through her chest in such a violent way that it propmted her to wake up, for real this time.
She touched her chest, expecting there to be blood but there was nothing there. Bonnie gulped down hard and looked all around her. She could feel eyes on her, she could feel it touching her skin and it left her frightened to the bone.
She got up fast and turned the lights on. Nothing was out of place. She ran up the stairs and went to her dad's room – it was quiet and untouched by time. She slid down the wall and buried her head in her hands and sobbed.
These nightmares had become worse. At first, he couldn't even speak, he was just a ghost and now he was able to physically hurt her. She was scared and confused. What if Silas had found a way to her? What if, just like her, he managed to live instead of meeting his faith, and he was now messing with her head just because he could?
A cold shiver went down her spine and even if she hated it, she searched for her phone and dialed Damon's number. She no longer cared about what had happened earlier, she didn't feel safe at all and he was the only one that could help her. The call went straight to voicemail and she felt a pang of panic go through her, she tried again and again but after five missed calls, she gave up entirely. This had to be a nightmare designed for her. This was too much, her chest hurt too much and she found herself having another anxiety attack. Her heart seemed to want to escape the safety of her chest and break her ribs in the process, breathing was almost impossible. She was gasping for air but it never seemed enough. She felt weak, as if her body was giving up on her and having Silas' face so close to her did more damage than she thought it would.
There she was, on the floor, unable to move or fight for her own life, she was just gasping away waiting for the darkness that would certainly come.
There she was, Bonnie Bennett.
Two weeks later...
Bonnie closed the curtains in her half painted room. She took her Grimoire, notebooks and laptop downstairs. Ever since she had that nightamre about Silas, she decided to halt her healing journey or whatever distraction that was, and camped out in her living room instead. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only nightamre she'd had since, three more followed, one worse than the other, and so Bonnie decided that she should find new ways to strengthen her mental barriers. Even if she was still without her magic, she managed to get some of the natural candles and herbs that thankfully were still stored in their usual cabinet, and she would light them up and say a few protection words.
It was a semi solution for the moment, a fragile one at that but they managed to keep the nightmares away for three days now, so she would take that win. She'd also called Damon a few more times but his phone was disconnected. She even went to the manor but there was no trace if the smug vampire, and that broke her. Things were already extremely difficult with Damon around but without him that was another load. She was now truly and completely alone.
She was sure that if she had any more tears she'd cry now out of despair, but she was all dried out. The girl had a plan now. She needed to get her strenth back and then she'd get out of here at some point. She was exhausted but still willing to fight. Seeing her father in those awful nightmares reminded her how much they had missed out on, Rudy never gave this parenting thing a real try and when he did try, Bonnie refused his efforts. But now, she could see that maybe there was something deeper going on with him and despite all of the bullshit, she wanted to have a relationship with him. That and, of course, being reunited with Grams again would make all of this worth it. she just ahd to hold on a little longer.
The soft doorbell that sounded took her out of her thoughts. Immediately, she grabbed her father's nine milimeter and peeped through the hole.
No fucking way, she thought as she turned back to the living room. The bell went off again, and just like before, she ignored it. As far as she knew, she had more important things to be concerned about.
"Hey Judgy open the door, I can hear you breathing!" he said from the other side.
She ignored it. Damon could drop dead for all she cared.
"Oh come on! Are you serious right now? I need to talk to you, it's important!"
She rolled her green eyes and continued to sort out her herbs. She cocked her head to the side when she realized that she might not have enough to last her the whole week. Damn it.
He banged on the door and cursed loudly when the invisible barrier kept him outside "Bonnie, you are the most stubborn person I know in this planet! You want to act like a damn baby then so be it! I don't have time for this. I just found out something big and wanted to share but you're too immature to see the bigger picture!"
The door swang open the minute he turned in his heels "Immature? You have the nerve to call me immature after all the bullshit you pulled? This is rich, even coming from you"
He tsked "You're the one that's pouting and not opening the door when I have really big news"
She crossed her arms upset "And as always, you have to make everything about yourself huh Damon. You don't care about anyone but you!"
He threw his arms in the air mad "Yes Bonnie, I care about myself and so should you! Now, do you want to hear what I have to tell you?"
"Oh, hold on. You thought that you'd disappear from the face of the earth for two weeks and now that you're back from whatever hole you crawled out of, I owe you my time?" she asked in one breath "You think that I have to listen to you go about whatever it is that you were doing for the past days when you left and didn't even say anything! You never even returned my damn calls Damon!"
Now, it was his turn to roll his eyes "Yeah I left and didn't let you in on my plans, so what? Last time I checked, you are not my friend, mother or girlfriend" he used his fingers as he listed out each name "I don't have to ask you for permission every time that I want to blow off some steam Bonnie. You don't own me"
She nodded her head, not believing what he had just said "No Damon, I'm actually lucky I'm not your friend, I'm definitely not your mother and I've seen how you are with Elena. The last thing I need is an alcaholic boyfriend with low self-esteem, that's been obsessed with my evil twin for over a century to think that delusion and love are the same. Someone that has sociopathic traits and runs away at the very mention of accountability, someone that envies his brother so much that he literally stole his life away from him"
His chuckle was dark and dangerous, his hands rested on the door frame and he bent his knees so he could level her and meet her eyes "No, you prefer teenage boys that are too young to understand all of the ways that you are inferior to your friends. You talk about my obsession but it was jeremy that cheated on you with a literal ghost, so you better rethink who's the one with low self-esteem. You think I'm jealous of Stefan? I'm proud of him, who can say that about you Bon Bon? Your friends? The ones that you envy?" he then stood to his full height "Don't ever try to anaylze me witch, you could never walk a mile in my shoes. But hey, don't lose hope, you have a life full of nothingess left behind. Maybe your loser boyfriend can spread the word about your great legacy"
She breathed hard. Again, Damon ticked her sore spots but she would never let him see her go weak on her knees. "At least I have one Damon and at the end of the day I can look at myself in the mirror and know that I've kept true to myself–"
He interrupted her "Don't lie now Bon Bon. We both know you hate yourself almost as much as you hate me so let's stop right there"
She then stepped outside her house with her slender finger pointed at him "You know nothing about me and let me tell you right now Damon, you don't scare me, I can see through your bullshit."
He shrugged "Takes a con to know one. I don't care about this, you've completely ruined my good mood."
She tilted her chin upwards "Likewise"
She meant to go back to her sanctuary and close the door on his face but her legs gave away and soon darkness took over her again.
The vampire was quick on his shoes and held her before she hit the ground. "Bonnie?" he asked and then shook his head, of course she wasn't going to answer. "Only you would pull something like this. You really are annoying Bennett" he said as he looked around. There was no point in bringing her inside because he couldn't get in, so the obvious choice was to take her to his place.
He sighed and carefully put her in his car. His molars were itching again and he was still pissed off with a passed out Bonnie in his backseat. All of this and he didn't even manage to tell her what he found out.
Damn she was stubborn.
Hey angels, sorry it took me a long time to update this baby but here it is. Thank you to everyone that took their time to review, favorite and follow this little piece. Now, I was asked if I was going to follow the show's direction with the Prison World arc and what I can say is that I'll be adding my own twist and mythology to it, so expect something different!
Also, I wanted to clarify that the lack of Bamon interaction in this chapter is vital, and the ones that they did have were... terrible to put it mildly. I believe that though these characters aren't afraid of death and (think) they're good on their own, there's a lot that needs to be solved with both of them. I want to allow these characters to experience and explore whatever feelings they may feel in a particular moment/phase of the story because only then we're going to be able to see them evolve and grow without losing the qualities that make them such good characters.
Bonnie's very dark in this chapter and she's going to be like that for a while. I refuse to believe that someone that has lost as much as she has, and doesn't have the support system that Elena has, for example, is someone that's bound to be very depressed despite being a strong woman. Emotions are a very fuckle and volatile thing, so why not explore them all? To reach her greatness, Bonnie needs to let herself feel the lows. The same goes for Damon.
Anyway, sorry for the long note. Hope everyone is safe. These are challenging times right now and it's tough trying to keep up a positive mindset, so I'm sending you loads of love and warm feelings. See you on the next chapter!