What Lies Beneath

Chapter 33: No Escape

The old mansion wasn't as scary to Bonnie Bennett now that she'd spent an entire night underneath its' roof. Maybe it was because Damon had stayed with her and kept her safe and warm, but the creaking walls and soft whispers drifted to the back of the mind instead of making the hairs on her arms stand on end. In a way everything trapped within the cool space was the legacy left to her—her heritage. She knew there was no need to be afraid but still…ghosts. One tended to freak out when something dead came back around.

Curled up on the soft sleeping bag and staring up at the ceiling with Damon's leather jacket spread across her midsection, she gazed at the moldy wood with calm green eyes and sighed. She wished that she could be with her friends right now, helping them figure out a way to stop Klaus but it was too dangerous. She needed to stay hidden so that he would be none the wiser come game time. She was secure in the notion that she could defeat him, but in reality she was terrified that she would in fact die trying. Being brave and standing up for her friends aside, she wanted to live too.

But I have to do this. I have to protect Elena and the others because—because it's what Grams would do.

She was pretty sure that her grandmother was quite proud of her and would say as much if she could. Bonnie had gone from a scatterbrain teenager who drunk too much at parties in the woods to a kick ass witch that stood up to evil forces twice her size. She didn't let her fear stop her from doing what was right. Though she wasn't stupid enough to think that Klaus would be the final threat to those she cared about. First Katherine had shown up to wreak havoc and then Klaus, naturally something else would follow. Their small town was a Mecca for the supernatural.

And more evil than fluffy bunny. Isn't that always the way?

Sighing, she rolled onto her side and ran her hand through a beam of fading sunlight that broke through a cracked board. The grimoires from the Martins' home were skewed around her, their pages crusted and dusty with knowledge but nothing so far that would really help the situation. And yet the simple words made her feel powerful. She'd learned a lot from Luka and his father, and she promised herself that she would never forget them. In the end they hadn't been evil people…just tied to their circumstances. She understood what that felt like because of one Damon Salvatore.

Meeting him, nearly dying because of him was a memory she didn't dwell on anymore; it was pointless to really. Still on the odd moments when she did remember that night in the woods she frowned even now. How could such a violent act give birth to what they had now? It didn't make sense but nothing made any sense at this point. She was a witch and her best friend was a doppelganger made to break some stupid curse.

It sounds like something from a television show. I wish it was because then I know we'd win.

Her fingers itched above her cell phone but she didn't pick it up. It was hard being dead! She couldn't even go outside or risk someone seeing her. She was completely isolated and it was not a feeling she liked. Bonnie was a social creature at heart and she liked to have her friends and family around her. But no one could chance coming to see her—except Damon—lest they lead Klaus or one of his minions to her. At this point she was dying to hear some of Caroline's inane gossip.

The downstairs floorboards whined under the strain of someone's weight and she sat up, staring at the open doorway. It wasn't Damon—that much she knew even though their bond was not functioning yet. He would make himself known so that she wouldn't set him on fire thinking he was the enemy. Balling her hand into a fist just in case, she watched as a brown head popped around the corner.

Jeremy Gilbert flashed her a bright smile and she relaxed. "Hey. Hope I didn't scare you."

She shook her head. "Nah just, you know, didn't know who would be coming to see me."