had plenty of practice, she didn’t like doing this, didn’t like the sensation of losing herself, as if she were sliding underwater.
The flame flickered and grew brighter. It seemed to swell and fill Bonnie’s field of vision. All she could see was flame.
I know who you are, a cold, rough voice suddenly growled in her ear, and Bonnie twitched. She hated the voices, sometimes as soft as if they were coming from a distant television, sometimes right beside her, like this one. She somehow always managed to forget them until the next time she began to fall into a trance. A faraway child’s voice began a wordless off-key humming, and Bonnie focused on making her breathing slow and steady.
She could feel her eyes slipping out of focus. A sour taste, wet and nasty, filled her mouth.
Envy twisted, sharp and bitter, inside her. It’s not fair, not fair, something muttered sullenly in her skull. And then blackness took over.
Elena watched apprehensively as Bonnie’s pupils widened, reflecting the candle flame. Bonnie was able to sink into trances much more quickly now than when she had begun having them, which worried Elena.
“Darkness rises.” A flat, hollow voice that didn’t sound anything like Bonnie’s came from her friend’s mouth. “It’s not here yet, but it wants to be. It’s cold. It’s been cold for a long time. It wants to be near us, out of the darkness and as warm as our hearts. It hates.”
“Is it a vampire?” asked Meredith quickly.
The not-Bonnie voice gave a harsh, choking laugh. “It’s much stronger than any vampire. It can find a home in any of you. Watch one another. Watch yourselves.”
“What is it?” asked Matt.
Whatever it was that spoke through Bonnie hesitated.
“She doesn’t know,” said Stefan. “Or she can’t tell us. Bonnie,” he said intently, “is someone bringing this thing to us? Who’s causing it?”
No hesitation this time. “Elena,” it said. “Elena brought it.”
Chapter 9
B onnie winced at the nasty metallic taste in her mouth and blinked several times, until the room around her came back into focus. “Ugh,” she said. “I hate doing that.”
Everyone was staring at her, their faces white and shocked.
“What?” she said uneasily. “What’d I say?”
Elena was sitting very still. “You said it was my fault,” she said slowly. “Whatever is coming after us, I brought it here.” Stefan reached out to cover her hand with his own.
Unbidden, the meanest, narrowest part of Bonnie’s mind thought wearily, Of course. It’s always about Elena, isn’t it?
Meredith and Matt filled Bonnie in on the rest of what she’d said in her trance, but their eyes kept returning to Elena’s stricken face, and as soon as they finished telling her what she’d missed, they turned away from Bonnie, back to Elena.
“We need to make a plan,” Meredith said to her softly.
“We’ll all want some refreshment,” Mrs. Flowers said, rising to her feet, and Bonnie followed her into the kitchen, eager to escape the tension of the room.
She wasn’t really a plan girl, anyway, she told herself. She’d made her contribution just by being the vision girl. Elena and Meredith were the ones everyone looked to for making the decisions.
But it wasn’t fair , was it? She wasn’t a fool, despite the fact that her friends all treated her like the baby of the group. Everyone thought Elena and Meredith were so clever and so strong , but Bonnie had saved the day again and again—not that anyone ever remembered that. She ran her tongue along the edges of her teeth, trying to scrape off the nasty sour taste still in her mouth.
Mrs. Flowers had decided that what the group needed to soothe them was some of her special elder-flower lemonade. While she filled the glasses with ice, poured the drinks, and set them out on a tray, Bonnie watched her restlessly. There was a rough, empty feeling inside Bonnie, like something was missing. It wasn’t fair , she thought again.
The flame flickered and grew brighter. It seemed to swell and fill Bonnie’s field of vision. All she could see was flame.
I know who you are, a cold, rough voice suddenly growled in her ear, and Bonnie twitched. She hated the voices, sometimes as soft as if they were coming from a distant television, sometimes right beside her, like this one. She somehow always managed to forget them until the next time she began to fall into a trance. A faraway child’s voice began a wordless off-key humming, and Bonnie focused on making her breathing slow and steady.
She could feel her eyes slipping out of focus. A sour taste, wet and nasty, filled her mouth.
Envy twisted, sharp and bitter, inside her. It’s not fair, not fair, something muttered sullenly in her skull. And then blackness took over.
Elena watched apprehensively as Bonnie’s pupils widened, reflecting the candle flame. Bonnie was able to sink into trances much more quickly now than when she had begun having them, which worried Elena.
“Darkness rises.” A flat, hollow voice that didn’t sound anything like Bonnie’s came from her friend’s mouth. “It’s not here yet, but it wants to be. It’s cold. It’s been cold for a long time. It wants to be near us, out of the darkness and as warm as our hearts. It hates.”
“Is it a vampire?” asked Meredith quickly.
The not-Bonnie voice gave a harsh, choking laugh. “It’s much stronger than any vampire. It can find a home in any of you. Watch one another. Watch yourselves.”
“What is it?” asked Matt.
Whatever it was that spoke through Bonnie hesitated.
“She doesn’t know,” said Stefan. “Or she can’t tell us. Bonnie,” he said intently, “is someone bringing this thing to us? Who’s causing it?”
No hesitation this time. “Elena,” it said. “Elena brought it.”
Chapter 9
B onnie winced at the nasty metallic taste in her mouth and blinked several times, until the room around her came back into focus. “Ugh,” she said. “I hate doing that.”
Everyone was staring at her, their faces white and shocked.
“What?” she said uneasily. “What’d I say?”
Elena was sitting very still. “You said it was my fault,” she said slowly. “Whatever is coming after us, I brought it here.” Stefan reached out to cover her hand with his own.
Unbidden, the meanest, narrowest part of Bonnie’s mind thought wearily, Of course. It’s always about Elena, isn’t it?
Meredith and Matt filled Bonnie in on the rest of what she’d said in her trance, but their eyes kept returning to Elena’s stricken face, and as soon as they finished telling her what she’d missed, they turned away from Bonnie, back to Elena.
“We need to make a plan,” Meredith said to her softly.
“We’ll all want some refreshment,” Mrs. Flowers said, rising to her feet, and Bonnie followed her into the kitchen, eager to escape the tension of the room.
She wasn’t really a plan girl, anyway, she told herself. She’d made her contribution just by being the vision girl. Elena and Meredith were the ones everyone looked to for making the decisions.
But it wasn’t fair , was it? She wasn’t a fool, despite the fact that her friends all treated her like the baby of the group. Everyone thought Elena and Meredith were so clever and so strong , but Bonnie had saved the day again and again—not that anyone ever remembered that. She ran her tongue along the edges of her teeth, trying to scrape off the nasty sour taste still in her mouth.
Mrs. Flowers had decided that what the group needed to soothe them was some of her special elder-flower lemonade. While she filled the glasses with ice, poured the drinks, and set them out on a tray, Bonnie watched her restlessly. There was a rough, empty feeling inside Bonnie, like something was missing. It wasn’t fair , she thought again.
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