Allure of Darkness

Chapter Five

The same thing that pulled her to Mystic Falls was fighting her right now, but she kept going until she saw Stefan and Elena make it out of the car. That's when everything went black.

.....

"Ghost World"

After the bonfire, cassie decided to lay low for a while, only going out to go grocery shopping. She still didn't know what the powerful force was that caused her to faint. It truly scared her to know that something she couldn't see could hurt her like that, it almost reminded her of her father.

She had been avoiding calls from caroline all day. She was finally tired of it and answered. "Cassie?! You're a witch, right? We need your help," Caroline said in one breath before Cassie could even say hello.

"Hello Caroline, how are you? Thanks for calling to check up on me..." cassie said sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Cassie... Please, something bad is happening."

Cassie paused and then let out an exasperated sigh, "Where are you?"

Caroline gave her the directions to the location and Cassie left to meet with Caroline.

.....

Cassie arrived at a creepy burnt-up house that reminded her of the house her circle would meet in. Caroline ran out and grabbed her hand pulling her in without saying a word. She led her into a room where Bonnie was waiting, looking nervous.

"Cassie you remember Bonnie? Bonnie, Cassie," Caroline quickly spit out. "Okay, so this is where you brought Jeremy back to life?" Caroline asked Bonnie.

"Yeah. Sorry, I know it's creepy," Bonnie said, stating the obvious, "but we needed a private place around here to do the spell."

"Wait," Cassie interjected, "You brought someone back to life?"

"I'll explain later," Caroline said. "Hmm. There's no chance it's haunted by the hundred dead witches who were horrifically burned to death in this very spot, is there?" Cassie's eyes widened at that and she started looking around the room frantically.

"They're not here anymore," Bonnie said, " And they made it clear they were never coming back." Cassie felt relief at hearing that.

"Right. You pinkie swear?" Caroline asked, still nervous.

"Yes. Now, Care you start lighting candles, and Cassie could you help me with the spell?" Cassie cautiously walked over to Bonnie and look at her book. It was much larger than her Book of Shadows.

Caroline finished lighting the candles and looked up, "Ready? Do you need me to do..." trailed off as Bonnie started speaking. Cassie held her hands and said the words with her. "Right. Okay." They continued the spell and a gust of wind swept through the room. It gets stronger and stronger, and debris flies across the room but Cassie tries to stay focused on Bonnie and the spell.

"Bonnie, I don't like this. Bonnie..." Caroline says scared. The two witches suddenly feel hands grasp theirs, so they release each other's hands. They both look to the source, Cassie doesn't know who it is, but she sees the recognition on both Caroline and Bonnie's faces. "Oh, my God. Is that your...?" The woman who appeared still holding onto Bonnie's hand but had dropped Cassie's the second she touched her like she had been burned.

Bonnie still in shock mutters out a quiet, "Grams." Tears start falling from Bonnie's eyes, "I can't believe you're here!" she says both excited and sad.

"Now stop your crying, we don't have time for tears," she says pointedly to Bonnie. She looks over at Caroline, "Nice to see you again, Caroline."

"Hi, Miss Sheila," Caroline says with a small smile. Cassie couldn't help but notice that Grams or Sheila, as Caroline called her, is purposefully ignoring Cassie.

Sheila, as Caroline called her, turns back to Bonnie and says, "A fine mess you've made, honey. The witches told you there'd be consequences to bringing Jeremy back and you did it anyway."

"I didn't have a choice," Bonnie replies insistently. "I love him and I--I couldn't just let him go."

Grams sighs, "I understand. But you cracked open the door to the other side. There's an old witch over here. She took advantage of it. She took advantage of you, honey. When you did that spell to send Vicki Donovan away, she wedged the door wide open, giving a free pass to anybody with unfinished business." When she says this Cassie's eyes widen in fear.

"How do you know this?"

"Witches talk. Even on the other side," she pauses and quickly glances at Cassie. "Who do you think makes all the rules?"

"What does the witch want?"

"That's Original vampire business, not yours. I don't want you getting in the middle of that. I'm here because you upset the balance of nature. And it's your duty to set it right. You need to close that door." Grams explains that Bonnie will need Elena's necklace to do that.

Caroline calls Elena immediately, they discuss the necklace. Cassie looks at Bonnie's grandmother and slowly approaches her. "Hi, um, can I help with anything?" she asks softly.

"You stay away from my granddaughter," she replies forcefully.

Cassie is taken aback by this reaction, "I'm sorry?" she says confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You are wrong... you are an abomination. You are darkness," she spits out.

Bonnie, confused, asks, "Grams, she was only helping, she didn't do anything."

"I think I'll just go then," Cassie says looking down. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help." Cassie leaves the old burnt-up house.

Bonnie turns to her grandmother, "Grams, what was that?"

"You stay away from her, Bonnie. She might be nice enough, but she will drag you down into the darkness," Grams said sadly. Bonnie just nods in return.

.....

Cassie drives home upset, she kept thinking, why am I being punished for my father's sins? I didn't ask for this.

She arrives home still a bit downtrodden but continues her day. She finishes the small amount of homework that she's received. Suddenly, she hears a creak in her living room. She slowly gets up and goes to the next room where she sees someone standing there with their back to her. "Grandma...?" she says softly.

"Hi, Cassie," Jane says turning to her granddaughter.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to tell you that you are not darkness, you can fight it. But it's not over."

"What's not over?"

"Your--" Jane disappears before giving Cassie the rest of the warning.

"Grandma?!" Cassie says but knows that she's gone, that Bonnie succeeded in closing the veil. Cassie returns back to her counter where she'd left her computer and books and sits. She starts on next week's homework and hears her phone vibrate, it's a text from Bonnie.

BONNIE: Hey. Caroline gave me your number. I'm sorry about what my grams said to you.

Cassie thought about what to send back and landed on a simple...

CASSIE: It's fine. See you at school.

She didn't get a text back from Bonnie so she decided to turn in for the night. As she lay in bed she thought of what her grandmother was trying to tell her. She started the warning with "your," "your family," "your magic," "your friends," "your circle..." the possibilities were endless.