The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter One

Things s oddment away be just care they were earlier, verbalize Carolean warmly, reaching knocked out(p) to squeeze fairs hand. still it wasnt true. Nothing could ever be the way it had been before Elena died. Nothing. And mediocre had serious misgivings approximately this party Caroline was trying to get up up. A vague nagging in the pit of her stomach t h one(a)st-to-goodness her that for nigh reason it was a very, very abominable idea.Merediths birthday is already over, she pointed out. It was stretch out Saturday.But she didnt have a party, non a real party exchangeable this one. Weve got every(prenominal) night my parents wont be back until Sunday morning. drive on, decent-just think how surprise shell be.Oh, shell be surprised, all right, thought Bonnie. So surprised she just might kill me afterward. Look, Caroline, the reason Meredith didnt have a bl sustain-up party is that she still doesnt feel much like celebrating. It seems-disrespectful, somehow-But th ats wrong. Elena would necessity us to have a good time, you know she would. She loved parties. And shed scorn to see us sitting around and crying over her sextuplet months after shes gone. Caroline leaned forward, her normally feline green eyes sober and compelling. There was no artifice in them now, none of Carolines usual abominable manipulation. Bonnie could enunciate she really meant it.I want us to be friends again the way we used to be, Caroline verbalise. We always used to hold back our birthdays together, just the four of us, remember? And remember how the guys would always try to dart our parties? I wonder if theyll try this year.Bonnie felt control of the location slipping away from her. This is a bad idea, this is a very bad idea, she thought. But Caroline was firing on, looking dreamy and almost romantic as she talked roughly the good old days. Bonnie didnt have the warmheartedness to tell her that the good old days were as dead as disco.But there arent eve n four of us anymore. Three doesnt shop much of a party, she protested feebly when she could get a word in.Im going to invite Sue Carson, too. Meredith gets along with her, doesnt she?Bonnie had to admit Meredith did everyone got along with Sue. But even so, Caroline had to understand that things couldnt be the way they had been before. You couldnt just supervene upon Sue Carson for Elena and say, There, everything is fixed now.But how do I explain that to Caroline? Bonnie thought. Suddenly she knew.Lets invite Vickie Bennett, she said.Caroline stared. Vickie Bennett? You must be joking. put on that freaky little drip who undressed in front of half the take? After everything that happened?Caroline stared. Vickie Bennett? You must be joking. Invite that bizarre little drip who undressed in front of half the school? After everything that happened?For a moment Caroline looked helplessly frustrated. Bonnie pierce her chin out, put her hands on her hips, and waited. Finally Caroli ne sighed. in all right you win. Ill invite her. But you have to take care of getting Meredith to my house Saturday night. And Bonnie-make sure she doesnt have any idea whats going on. I really want this to be a surprise.Oh, it will be, Bonnie said grimly. She was unprepared for the sudden light in Carolines face or the driving warmth of Carolines hug.Im so glad youre seeing things my way, Caroline said. And itll be so good for us all to be together again.She doesnt understand a thing, Bonnie realized, dazed, as Caroline walked off. What do I have to do to explain to her? Sock her?And then Oh, God, now I have to tell Meredith.But by the end of the day she decided that perchance Meredith didnt necessity to be told. Caroline wanted Meredith surprised well, maybe Bonnie should devolve Meredith surprised. That way at least Meredith wouldnt have to worry about it beforehand. Yes, Bonnie concluded, it was probably kindest to non tell Meredith anything.And who knows, she wrote in her journal Friday night. maybe Im organism too hard on Caroline. Maybe shes really sorry about all the things she did to us, like trying to humiliate Elena in front of the hale town and trying to get Stefan put away for murder. Maybe Carolines ripe since then and learned to think about somebody besides herself. Maybe well actually have a good time at her party.And maybe aliens will kidnap me before tomorrow afternoon, she thought as she unappealing the diary. She could only hope.The diary was an inexpensive drugstore blank book, with a designing of tiny flowers on the cover. Shed only started keeping it since Elena had died, but shed already turn over slightly addicted to it. It was the one place she could say anything she wanted without community looking shocked and saying, Bonnie McCullough or Oh, Bonnie.She was still thinking about Elena as she turned off the light and crawled under the covers.She was sitting on lush, manicured grass that spread as far as she could see in al l directions. The sky was a flawless blue, the air was warm and scented. Birds were singing.Im so glad you could come, Elena said.Oh-yes, said Bonnie. Well, naturally, so am I. Of course. She looked around again, then hastily back at Elena.More tea leaf? There was a teacupful in Bonnies hand, thin and fragile as eggshell. Oh-sure. Thanks.Elena was wearing an eighteenth-century dress of slight white muslin, which clung to her, showing how slender she was. She poured the tea precisely, without spilling a drop.Would you like a mouse?A what?I said, would you like a sandwich with your tea?Oh. A sandwich. Yeah. Great. It was thinly sliced cucumber with mayonnaise on a dainty square of white bread. Without the crust.The whole scene was as foaming and beautiful as a picture by Seurat. Warm Springs, thats where we are. The old picnic place, Bonnie thought. But surely weve got more important things to debate than tea.Who does your copper these days? she asked. Elena never had been able t o do it herself.Do you like it? Elena put a hand up to the silky, pale gold smoke piled at the back of her neck.Its perfect, said Bonnie, sounding for all the world like her mother at a Daughters of the American Revolution dinner party.Well, hair is important, you know, Elena said. Her eyes glowed a deeper blue than the sky, lapis lazuli blue. Bonnie touched her own springy red curls self-consciously.Of course, blood is important too, Elena said.Blood? Oh-yes, of course, said Bonnie, flustered. She had no idea what Elena was talking about, and she felt as if she were walking on a tightrope over alligators.Yes, bloods important, all right, she agreed weakly.Another sandwich?Thanks. It was cheese and tomato. Elena selected one for herself and bit into it delicately. Bonnie watched her, feeling uneasiness grow by the minute inside her, and then- And then she saw the mud oozing out of the edges of the sandwich.What-whats that? timidity made her voice shrill. For the first time, the d ream seemed like a dream, and she instal that she couldnt move, could only gasp and stare. A thick glob of the brown compact fell off Elenas sandwich onto the checkered tablecloth. It was mud, all right. Elena Elena, what-The air was no longer warm and scented it was hot and sickly sweet with the spirit of rotting garbage. There were black pits in the green grass, which wasnt manicured after all but wild and overgrown. This wasnt Warm Springs. She was in the old graveyard how could she not have realized that? Only these graves were fresh.Another mouse? Elena said, and giggled obscenely.Bonnie looked down at the half-eaten sandwich she was holding and screamed. Dangling from one end was a ropy brown tail. She threw it as hard as she could against a headstone, where it hit with a wet slap. Then she stood, stomach heaving, scrubbing her fingers devilishly against her jeans.You cant leave yet. The company is just arriving. Elenas face was changing she had already woolly-headed her h air, and her skin was turning gray and leathery. Things were moving in the plate of sandwiches and the newly dug pits. Bonnie didnt want to see any of them she thought she would go mad if she did.Youre not Elena she screamed, and ran.The wind blew her hair into her eyes and she couldnt see. Her pursuer was arsehole her she could feel it right behind her. Get to the bridge, she thought, and then she ran into something.Ive been waiting for you, said the thing in Elenas dress, the gray skeletal thing with long, twisted teeth. take care to me, Bonnie. It held her with terrible strength.Youre not Elena Youre not ElenaListen to me, BonnieIt was Elenas voice, Elenas real voice, not obscenely amused nor thick and ugly, but urgent. It came from somewhere behind Bonnie and it swept through the dream like a fresh, cold wind. Bonnie, get wind quickly-Things were melting. The bony hands on Bonnies arms, the crawling graveyard, the rancid hot air. For a moment Elenas voice was clear, but it w as broken up like a bad long-dis-tance connection. Hes twisting things, changing them. Im not as strong as he is Bonnie missed some words. but this is important. You have to recollect right now. Her voice was fading.Elena, I cant hear you Elena an easy spell, only two ingredients, the ones I told you alreadyElenaBonnie was still shouting as she sit bolt upright in bed.