grayer. “How…bad?”
“It’s so bad that it’s…I’ve never felt anything like thisbefore. Not when Elena got killed, not from Klaus, not from anything . I’ve never felt anything as bad as this. It’s so bad, and it’s so strong . I didn’t think anything could be so strong. It’s pushing on me, and I’m afraid —”
Meredith cut her off. “Bonnie, I know we can both only think of one way out of this—”
“There’s no way out of this!”
“—I know you’re afraid—”
“Who is there to call? I could do it…if there were someone to call. I can stare at your little flashlight and try to pretend it’s a flame and do it—”
“Trancing?” Matt looked at Meredith sharply. “She’s not supposed to do that anymore.”
“Klaus is dead.”
“But—”
“There’s nobody to hear me!” Bonnie shrieked and then she broke down into huge sobs at last. “Elena and Stefan are too far away, and they’re probably asleep by now! And there isn’t anyone else!”
The three of them were being pushed together now, as branches pressed the seats back onto them. Matt and Meredith were close enough to look at each other right over Bonnie’s head.
“Uh,” Matt said, startled. “Um…are we sure?”
“No,” Meredith said. She sounded both grim and hopeful. “Remember this morning? We are not at all sure.In fact I’m sure he’s still around somewhere.”
Now Matt felt sick, and Meredith and Bonnie looked ill in the already strange-looking blue light. “And—right before this happened, we were talking about how a lot of stuff—”
“—basically everything that happened to change Elena—”
“—was all his fault.”
“In the woods.”
“With an open window.”
Bonnie sobbed on.
Matt and Meredith, however, had made a silent agreement by eye contact. Meredith said, very gently, “Bonnie, what you said you would do; well, you’re going to have to do it. Try to get through to Stefan, or waken Elena or—or apologize to…Damon. Probably the last, I’m afraid. But he’s never seemed to want us all dead, and he must know that it won’t help him with Elena if he kills her friends.”
Matt grunted, skeptical. “He may not want us all dead, but he may wait until some of us are dead to save the others. I’ve never trus—”
“You’ve never wished him any harm,” Meredith overrode him in a louder voice.
Matt blinked at her and then shut up. He felt like an idiot.
“So, here, the flashlight’s on,” Meredith said, and evenin this crisis, her voice was steady, rhythmic, hypnotic. The pathetic little light was so precious, too. It was all they had to keep the darkness from becoming absolute.
But when the darkness became absolute, Matt thought, it would be because all light, all air, everything from the outside had been shut out, pushed out of the way by the pressure of the trees. And by then the pressure would have broken their skeletons.
“Bonnie?” Meredith’s voice was the voice of every big sister who ever had come to her younger sibling’s rescue. That gentle. That controlled. “Can you try to pretend it’s a candle flame…a candle flame…a candle flame…and then try to trance?”
“I’m in trance already.” Bonnie’s voice was somehow distant—far away and almost echoing.
“Then ask for help,” Meredith said softly.
Bonnie was whispering, over and over, clearly oblivious to the world around her: “Please, come help us. Damon, if you can hear me, please accept our apologies and come. You gave us a terrible scare, and I’m sure we deserved it, but please, please help. It hurts, Damon. It hurts so bad I could scream. But instead I’m putting all that energy into Calling you. Please, please, please help…”
For five, ten, fifteen minutes she kept it up, as the branches grew, enclosing them with their sweet, resinous scent. She kept it up far longer than Matt had ever thoughtshe could endure.
Then the light went out. After that there was no sound
“It’s so bad that it’s…I’ve never felt anything like thisbefore. Not when Elena got killed, not from Klaus, not from anything . I’ve never felt anything as bad as this. It’s so bad, and it’s so strong . I didn’t think anything could be so strong. It’s pushing on me, and I’m afraid —”
Meredith cut her off. “Bonnie, I know we can both only think of one way out of this—”
“There’s no way out of this!”
“—I know you’re afraid—”
“Who is there to call? I could do it…if there were someone to call. I can stare at your little flashlight and try to pretend it’s a flame and do it—”
“Trancing?” Matt looked at Meredith sharply. “She’s not supposed to do that anymore.”
“Klaus is dead.”
“But—”
“There’s nobody to hear me!” Bonnie shrieked and then she broke down into huge sobs at last. “Elena and Stefan are too far away, and they’re probably asleep by now! And there isn’t anyone else!”
The three of them were being pushed together now, as branches pressed the seats back onto them. Matt and Meredith were close enough to look at each other right over Bonnie’s head.
“Uh,” Matt said, startled. “Um…are we sure?”
“No,” Meredith said. She sounded both grim and hopeful. “Remember this morning? We are not at all sure.In fact I’m sure he’s still around somewhere.”
Now Matt felt sick, and Meredith and Bonnie looked ill in the already strange-looking blue light. “And—right before this happened, we were talking about how a lot of stuff—”
“—basically everything that happened to change Elena—”
“—was all his fault.”
“In the woods.”
“With an open window.”
Bonnie sobbed on.
Matt and Meredith, however, had made a silent agreement by eye contact. Meredith said, very gently, “Bonnie, what you said you would do; well, you’re going to have to do it. Try to get through to Stefan, or waken Elena or—or apologize to…Damon. Probably the last, I’m afraid. But he’s never seemed to want us all dead, and he must know that it won’t help him with Elena if he kills her friends.”
Matt grunted, skeptical. “He may not want us all dead, but he may wait until some of us are dead to save the others. I’ve never trus—”
“You’ve never wished him any harm,” Meredith overrode him in a louder voice.
Matt blinked at her and then shut up. He felt like an idiot.
“So, here, the flashlight’s on,” Meredith said, and evenin this crisis, her voice was steady, rhythmic, hypnotic. The pathetic little light was so precious, too. It was all they had to keep the darkness from becoming absolute.
But when the darkness became absolute, Matt thought, it would be because all light, all air, everything from the outside had been shut out, pushed out of the way by the pressure of the trees. And by then the pressure would have broken their skeletons.
“Bonnie?” Meredith’s voice was the voice of every big sister who ever had come to her younger sibling’s rescue. That gentle. That controlled. “Can you try to pretend it’s a candle flame…a candle flame…a candle flame…and then try to trance?”
“I’m in trance already.” Bonnie’s voice was somehow distant—far away and almost echoing.
“Then ask for help,” Meredith said softly.
Bonnie was whispering, over and over, clearly oblivious to the world around her: “Please, come help us. Damon, if you can hear me, please accept our apologies and come. You gave us a terrible scare, and I’m sure we deserved it, but please, please help. It hurts, Damon. It hurts so bad I could scream. But instead I’m putting all that energy into Calling you. Please, please, please help…”
For five, ten, fifteen minutes she kept it up, as the branches grew, enclosing them with their sweet, resinous scent. She kept it up far longer than Matt had ever thoughtshe could endure.
Then the light went out. After that there was no sound
Similar Books
