Bonnie

Kai's words echoed through Bonnie's head all parents probably thought you were a dud,he'd families are like that—if the gift skips a generation, they'll either dump the kid in foster care or make them wish their parents had given them up.

Is that why Mom left? Bonnie wondered. Abby had a dud for a child instead of a witch and decided she wasn't worth the time? Bonnie hadn't spoken to her mother in years, and she hadn't seen her for longer, and she wondered if Abby had made another family full of proper witches, not defective daughters like her firstborn.

"Hey!" Kai said, yanking Bonnie from her sleepless fretting as he banged on her bedroom door. "Get up, I made breakfast!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" Bonnie called, rolling out of bed and yanking open the door.

"Nice hat," Kai said, flicking her bonnet. "Are those strawberries?"

Bonnie snatched it off and pushed past him.

"Aw, you didn't have to do that. It's cute."

She glanced behind her. Kai was wearing one of her dad's t-shirts and a pair of basketball shorts he bought to wear to a gym he never attended. His hair was wet, droplets dripping down his neck, and he smelled like coconuts. "Did you use my shampoo?" She demanded.

"Yes, but I made you omelets to make up for it. Come on. "

It is a good omelet,Bonnie admitted after the first bite. It was cheesy, perfectly seasoned, and best of all, kosher. She couldn't count how many times she'd gone to Elena or Caroline's house and had atreyfbreakfast presented to her after a sleepover. Oh, they never served anything obvious like pork or shellfish, but keeping food pig-free did not make it kosher.

"You're welcome," Kai said.

"Thank you," Bonnie said quietly.

Kai leaned against the counter. "Are you nervous? I can't help feeling like I'm making you nervous."

"The first time I met you, you attacked me."

"Fair, but in my defense, I thought I was having a psychotic break."

"How long are you staying here?" Bonnie asked, setting down her fork.

"Already trying to get rid of me? And here I thought we were friends."

Bonnie ignored that absurdity. "My dad's coming home tomorrow," she said, "He's gonna be pissed if he finds you here."

"And we can't have that," Kai said solemnly. "Don't worry, I'm headed off to Portland. You're looking at the future head of the Gemini coven, baby!"

Gemini,Bonnie thought as she got ready for school. That sounded vaguely familiar. Where had she heard that before?

Kai

The first thing he did after Bonnie left was steal her neighbor's car. It was a BMW, very nice, very fancy, and very easy to hot-wire.

The second thing Kai did was total it.

"What thehell—"he wheezed, head throbbing from the airbag. The front of the car was crunched like a soda can, and the windshield was shattered. He kicked open the door, tumbling from the ruins of the BMW.

He hadn't even gotten past the town limits, Kai thought numbly, staring at the exit sign with growing dread.

He took a step forward, and was immediately yanked back. "No," he said, voice raising as he pounded his fists against an invisible barrier."No no no no no no FUCK!"

It took him an hour to walk to the high school, which was enough time to bring his rage to a boil.I'm gonna wring her neck,snarled the part of him that murdered his family. The rest of him that had learned patience whilst rotting in the Prison World was her to break the spell. She's completely clueless, it should be easy.

This is what happens when you neglect witches, he thought furiously, following the line that led to a car wash in the school parking lot. You get a bunch of completely preventable accidents. Shit blows up. People disappear. Innocent siphoners who want to purge their covens in vengeance get inexplicably trapped in Virginia.

"Speak of the devil," Kai muttered as a car burst into flames. His eyes fell on Bonnie Bennett, who stood silently among the panicking mundanes. "Bonnie!" A boy shook her by the shoulders and the fires died.

"What just happened?" Bonnie asked dazedly.

"You were in some kind of a trance."

"Yeah, no shit, dude," Kai snapped, stepping between them.

"Kai?I thought you were going to Portland—what happened to your face?"

"Youhappened. I couldn't even drive past the town border before whatever spell you cast totaled the car!"

"What are you—" the boy started, but Kai waved him off. "None of your business. Buzz off."

The boy glanced at Bonnie. "It's fine, Stefan," she assured. "Go check on Elena."

"Why are you asking about this kind of stuff in front of people?" She hissed as Steven walked away.

"Because nothing's going to happen. He either thinks I'm high or an idiot. You got any water?"

Bonnie led him to a table covered in Aquafina and orange slices, which he eagerly snatched. It gave him a moment to properly take her in—like he thought earlier, Bonnie Bennett was a total babe. "Nice suit," he leered.

"Thanks," she said flatly. "What do you want?"

"I want you to break the spell," he said as he stripped an orange from its peel. "I've got shit to do, and I can't do it if I'm stuck here."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Bonnie demanded, crossing her arms, which did wonderful things to her tits. "I told you, I don't have any training—eyes uphere,Kai!"

"Sorry," he said unrepentantly. "It's just such a good view." He popped the orange in his mouth, and chewed slowly. "I'll help you," he said around the pulp, grinning at her angry flush.

"Maybe I don't want your help!"

"Well, you're getting it. Take the offer, Bonnie. People have killed to get their hands on Gemini knowledge, and I'm giving it to you for free."

"What if I mess it up?" She asked.

"Then you mess it up and try again. It's not that hard."

"We could ask Grams for help—"

"Absolutely not." Kai snapped. He had no idea who her granny was, but if she was anything like Sheila, he'd find himself back in the Prison World with the word ABOMINATION branded on his forehead. He took a deep breath. "Let's get started."

"Now?"

"No, ."

"But—"

"Listen, do you want to wash cars or learn magic?"

Bonnie pinched the bridge of her nose. "I wanna learn magic," she muttered.

"That's what I thought," Kai said with satisfaction. "Let's go."