I've realized that I've forgotten to disclaim the first two chapters so... DISCLAIM! I DISCLAIM EVERYTHING! Okay, now that's out of the way -
As always I want to say thank you to everyone! You guys are so great. It really makes me want to sit down and turn out something amazing for you. That being said, I'm not at all happy with this chapter. I've been over it like a million times and I still don't like it. There are moments that I like, but the majority... bah. Hopefully you guys disagree. lol.
Food for Thought: Bonnie's suffering from severe culture shock, and not just that, but she has to re-assimulate how she interacts with people, something she's definitely struggling with. Especially with Damon, since she's used to responding to him in a certain way, it's difficult for her to interact with him in a new way. Don't be surprised if she slips up...
Bonnie adjusted the strap of her make-shift sling to stop it from digging into her shoulder, as it was want to do. Emily insisted it needed to be that tight (to ensure the arm didn't jostle unnecessarily and aggravate the injury) ever time Bonnie complained: which was often.
Bonnie shook her head gently as she tried to refocus on what Emily was saying to her. She was pointing at an interesting looking yellow and black flower in the garden and explaining its properties and uses. The ribbons of the bonnet she always donned when outside were flapping like banners in the wind. She had tried to get Bonnie to wear one too but she had put her foot down. The dress was bad enough; she couldn't handle a hat to go with it.
"This can make a particularly potent poison when mixed correctly. Most poisons made with this flower can only be remedied with an antidote consisting of the flower's very centre, which is where the toxins are most concentrated. A poison to cure a poison, if you will." She turned to look at her then with the same soul piercing gaze that she always seemed to give her. "Are you listening to any of this?"
Well, she had been trying to, did that count? It's not that she wasn't interested. Having a teacher as experienced as Emily was amazing, and exactly what she was lacking, it was just a lot to take in. They had been at this for almost an hour now, and all the plants and their properties were starting to blur.
Putting on her best impression of an attentive student she nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, of course. It's great stuff. Yellow flower – Poison – Bad. Gotcha."
Emily was not impressed, if the frown she was wearing was any indication. "Perhaps for our next lesson you should bring something to write what you learn in."
Emily was very proficient at making Bonnie feel like a moron. "Right. Good idea. I'll remember that for next time."
Though how I'm supposed to take notes with a broken arm, I'll never know, she couldn't help but think to herself.
When Bonnie had mentioned that she was alone in her own time, Emily had taken it upon herself to tutor her in everything she deemed important for a witch to know. She claimed it served two purposes: to make her a stronger witch and hopefully, jog her memory about the spell and its ingredients. For the life of her, Bonnie could not remember anything beyond the salt circle and candles. She knew the ingredients were common and the spell was fairly simple, but it had also been in Latin so that didn't help her too much.
"Emily, about the sp-"
"Yes, it is unfortunate that saffron is so costly, since it has such wonderful healing properties. It was often commonly used as an aphrodisiac in ancient times as well."
"What?" Where was this coming from?
Emily shot her a look so fierce Bonnie knew better than to question the sudden lesson on saffron. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Bonnie searched her mind for something plausible to say. "What... what could you substitute saffron with?"
Emily's gaze softened in her certainty that Bonnie, despite being completely confused, was playing along. "Ginger is very effective against many of the ailments saffron is said to cure. Though I do not believe it would make for a very good aphrodisiac."
From the way Emily was smirking, the last part was probably her attempt at humour, but Bonnie was too busy trying to figure out why Emily had shut her down so quickly to be amused. She had to have known she was about to bring up the spell. Why would she not want her to?
"Emily, there you are!" a voice called not far behind her.
Ice prickled through Bonnie's veins as she slowly turned to see Katherine coming towards them. Emily must have seen her off in the distance, hence the saffron.
"Miss Katherine, is something the matter?"
"Not at all," she assured coming to stand a few feet away from them. "The Salvatores are to attend dinner at the Fell's this evening and have been kind enough to extend the invitation to me. I will need you to help me get ready."
"Of course, Miss Katherine, I will be right with you." Emily dipped her head respectfully. As Katherine turned to retreat she spared a glance at Bonnie, not really seeing her until her eyes landed on the sling. Stopping, she turned and gave Bonnie her full attention.
"You're the girl we found in the courtyard. How curios... Whatever happened to you, my dear?"
It was disorienting: looking into Elena's face and knowing it wasn't Elena she was seeing. Disorienting and creepy. She tried not to glare as she replied.
"I fell." How many times was she going to have to say that?
"How?"
"It's a long story."
"Pity. I have very little time on my hands." Katherine said, smiling as if she were enjoying some private joke.
Oh, I'm sure that's not true. Bonnie had to bite her lip to stop from saying out loud.
"Miss Katherine," Emily interjected gently, "we should be on our way. We have very little time to get you ready."
"Yes," she agreed. Turning, she began to walk back towards the residence, calling over her shoulder, "Come along, Emily."
Following after at a distance, Emily tossed a glance back at Bonnie before she got too far. Behave. At least that's what it looked like she was saying, though Bonnie couldn't imagine why. She'd given Emily no reason to think she'd do anything reckless.
Sighing deeply, Bonnie took in her surroundings. Though the vista was breathtaking, there wasn't much to do around here. She looked down at garden beside her and felt a bone-deep tiredness consume her. She had looked at enough plants for today... Now what?
Setting off in the direction of the great lawn at the front of the house she wandered aimlessly, letting her mind drift. If she were back in her own time, what would she be doing right now?
Probably being talked into doing some sort favour for Damon and/or Stefan, as per usual. She snorted derisively at the thought, and walked hard into something that felt suspiciously like a wall. Looking up, she saw the soft cotton clothed back of man.
"Whoa. I'm sorry." She said as she backed up quickly.
The back turned and suddenly she was facing Damon Salvatore. Speak of the devil.
"Bonnie." He looked surprised to see her.
"Da – Um, Mr. Salvatore." She corrected herself just in time, and added the head bow thing she saw Emily do for good measure.
He smiled slightly, "Are you well?"
"Fine. Thank you."
"And your arm?"
"Such a bitch."
She was certain the wide-eyed shock she could see on Damon's face was a perfect reflection of her own. She could feel it pulsing through her in waves. She had meant to think that, not say it out loud.
"I beg your pardon?" He finally managed.
"I – I meant that it hurts. A lot."
"I see."
They stood there, an awkward silence filling the space between them as they let their eyes land on everything but each other. Her injured hip was starting to get sore from the weight she was placing on it and so she shifted slightly, keeping her eyes glued to the ground.
Should she apologize? Well, she didn't do anything wrong technically, but she was very aware that people didn't speak like that in 1864, especially women. She had to be more careful. Looking up at him as he studied the trees behind her head, she swallowed her pride.
"I didn't mean to offend you."
His eyes snapped back to hers. "You did not offend me. I was... surprised. I have never heard a woman speak like that before."
"Yeah, well, my mouth can sometimes get me into trouble."
Her eyes narrowed as she watched a red blossom across Damon's cheeks. Why was he blushing now?
He cleared his throat suddenly as his eyes darted to the trees beyond her head again. "Have you seen Miss Katherine, by any chance?" His voice sounding oddly strained.
Bonnie had to fight against the inclination to frown. She studied Damon staring intently at the trees behind her and debated. Katherine was the root of all evil, in general and in this story in particular. Maybe there was a way she could keep the Salvatore brothers from getting too involved with her, keep them from even becoming vampires. That way Elena would never miss Stefan because she would never know him. He and his brother would simply pass away... An uncomfortable tug pulled at the pit of her stomach. Something about that didn't sit right with her.
Surely the world would be a better place without Damon Salvatore in it. He caused nothing but pain for those around him and he relished it. There was not a decent bone in that man's body. She wouldn't miss him. Though... if she were going to be honest with herself, there would be one thing she'd miss about him. His eyes. God, they were so blue. They could make her forget what a monster he was, especially when he was looking at her like that: like he was trying to search her for the answer to some question... Oh my god! He was actually asking her a question!
"I'm sorry? What was that?" Bonnie asked, rapidly coming back to herself.
"Do you know whom I'm referring to?" He repeated, not drawing attention to her obvious lapse.
"I've met her. She's getting ready for dinner."
"Ah." His shoulders sagged slightly as he tried, and failed, to hide his disappointment.
Seemed like she wouldn't be able to keep him away from Katherine even if she tried, he was already infatuated. A deep sigh stole from her lips and she brainstormed for some sort of excuse to leave.
"Are you tired?"
"Yes." More so by the second.
"Do you not get many days to rest? What kind of work are you meant to do with your broken arm? W –"
"Why do you ask so many questions?" Bonnie blurted, completely exasperated. He stepped back silently, taken off-guard by the abruptness of her outburst. His mouth open and closed for a moment but before he could respond she continued. "I'm pretty sure this is inappropriate: fraternizing with the help."
He frowned, suddenly sombre. "I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable."
Maybe she had some sort of default setting for when she interacted with Damon that just allowed her to respond without thinking too much. Or maybe it was a defence mechanism to never show any weakness in front of a threat. Maybe it was Pavlov's effect, and she was conditioned to respond to anything Damon said like it was some sort of challenge, but whatever the reason Bonnie took a step into his personal space and looked him right in the eye.
"You couldn't if you tried."
Beyond the shock echoing across his features, there was a flash of acknowledgment of the challenge she was presenting, though he had no way of grasping where this sudden challenge was coming from. The corners of his eyes creased as he studied her. "You are the most startling person I have ever met."
Closing her eyes against the flood of humiliation she could feel heating her cheeks, she took a deep breath. His scent, a mixture of unscented soap and something faintly spicy... something vaguely familiar, that she suspected was uniquely Damon, expanded through her lungs. She let the weight of her head drop down until her chin was tucked against her chest and took a step back.
"I'm probably the one making you uncomfortable."
His laughter teased gently against her ears, coaxing her eyes back up to meet his. "Never a dull moment." He admitted, letting a smile peak out at the corners of his lips.
"I'm not used to all this." She started without really comprehending why she felt the need to explain herself. "These... customs. Where I come from, we don't have so many... rules about how people are supposed to interact."
His eyebrows pulled together in contemplation. "Are you new to Mystic Falls?"
"In a sense." She answered vaguely, suddenly taking a great interest in the slight curl of his hair.
"That would explain it."
She snapped her eyes back to his. "Explain what?"
"You have this peculiar way in which you speak." She raised an eyebrow, signalling for him to elaborate. "You have a way of shortening certain words... for example, instead of could not, you said couldn't. Not that that is so unusual in itself, it is just that you do it quite frequently... for example, all the time."
Crap. She had thought she was blending in fairly well, language-wise. Yeah, she had read Pride & Prejudice once or twice, seen the movie maybe closer to a million times, but reading/hearing the language didn't necessarily equate the ability to speak it on a second's notice. Shrugging it off she offered up a, "That's just the way we speak where I'm from. I guess it's my accent."
"Where are you from?"
The 21st century. Bonnie fought off the sudden building pressure in her chest that wanted to burst out of her in the form of hysterical laughter. This is insane. What am I supposed to say?
"Damon!" A voice called out, pulling their attention to the front of the house where Stefan stood framed by the massive mahogany doors. He made his way at a decent pace over to where they stood.
Not to step on Elena's toes, but wow did he look good. There was something inherently smouldering about 1864 Stefan. Maybe it was the hair, or the clothes, or the fact that he seemed lighter, like he wasn't wearing his guilt around his shoulders like a cape. Whatever it was, it definitely suited him.
"Damon. Father wishes to speak to you."
Frowning, he asked, "Must I?"
Chuckling, Stefan shook his head. "You must. And please, try not to antagonize him."
"Me? Antagonize him? Never."
"Come, Damon. The sooner you go, the better." Stefan said, as he placed an around his brother's shoulders and began leading him away.
Bonnie watched them for a second before turning her attention to the slowly darkening sky. I wonder what time it is, she thought to herself as turned to make her way to her own room, all the while missing the blue eyes that glanced back in her direction before disappearing into the house.