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I'm going to try not to either. I don't know if it's possible, but I'm going
to try."
"That's all anybody can do," Matt said. Slowly, he pushed himself off the
chair and stood straight. The tension was gone from his muscles, and his eyes
were the clear, almost piercing blue eyes Stefan remembered. "Okay," he said
quietly. "If you found what you came for, we'd better get back to the girls."
Stefan thought, his mind switching gears."Matt, if I'm right about what's
going on, the girls should be okay for a while. But you go ahead and take over
the watch from them. As long as I'm here there's something I'd like to read up
on by a guy namedGervase ofTilbury , who lived in the early 1200s."
"Even before your time, eh?" Matt said, and Stefan gave him the ghost of a
smile. They stood for a moment, looking at each other.
"All right.I guess I'll see you at Vickie's." Matt turned to the door,then
hesitated. Abruptly, he turned again and held out his hand. "Stefan I'm glad
you came back."
Stefan gripped it. "I'm glad to hear it" was all he said, but inside he felta
warmth that took away the stabbing pain.
And some of the loneliness, too.
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Eight
From where Bonnie and Meredith sat in the car, they could just see Vickie's
window. It would have been better to be closer, but then someone might have
discovered them.
Meredith poured the last of the coffee out of the thermos and drank it. Then
she yawned. She caught herself guiltily and looked at Bonnie.
"You havingtrouble sleeping at night too?"
"Yes. I can't imagine why," Meredith said.
"Do you think the guys are having a little talk?"
Meredith glanced at her quickly, obviously surprised,then smiled. Bonnie
realized Meredith hadn't expected her to catch on. "I hope so," Meredith said.
"It might do Matt some good."
Bonnie nodded and relaxed back into the seat.Meredith's car had never seemed
so comfortable before.
When she looked at Meredith again, the dark-haired girl was asleep.
Oh, great.Terrific. Bonnie stared into the dregs of her coffee mug, making a
face. She didn't dare relax again; if theyboth fell asleep, it could be
disastrous. She dug her nails into her palms and stared at Vickie's lighted
window.
When she found the image blurring and doubling on her, she knew something had
to be done.
Fresh air.That would help. Without bothering to be too quiet about it, she
unlocked the door and pulled the handle up. The door clicked open, but
Meredith went on breathing deeply.
She must really be tired, Bonnie thought, getting out. She shut the door more
gently, locking Meredith inside. It was only then that she realized she
herself didn't have a key.
Oh, well, she'd wake Meredith to let her back in. Meanwhile she'd go check on
Vickie. Vickie was probably still awake.
The sky was brooding and overcast, but the night was warm. Behind Vickie's
house the black walnut trees stirred very faintly. Crickets sang, but their
monotonous chirping only seemed like part of a larger silence.
The scent of honeysuckle filledBonnie's nostrils. She tapped on Vickie's
window lightly with her fingernails, peering through the crack in the
curtains.
No answer. On the bed she could make out a lump of blankets with unkempt
brown hair sticking out the top. Vickie was asleep too.
As Bonnie stood there, the silence seemed to thicken around her. The crickets
weren't singing anymore, and the trees were still. And yet it was as if she
was straining to hear something sheknew was there.
I'm not alone, she realized.
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None of her ordinary senses told her this. But her sixth sense, the one that
sent chills up her arms and ice down her spine, the one that was newly
awakened to the presence of Power, was certain. There was& something& near.
Something& watching her.
She turned slowly, afraid to make a sound. If she didn't make any noise,
maybe whatever it was wouldn't get her. Maybe it wouldn't notice her.
The silence had become deadly, menacing. It hummed in her ears with the beat
of her own blood. And she couldn't help imagining what might come screaming
out of it at any minute.
Something with hot, moist hands, she thought, staring into the darkness of
the backyard. Black on gray, black on black was all she could see. Every shape
might be anything, and all the shadows seemed to be moving. Something with
hot, sweaty hands and arms strong enough to crush her
The snap of a twig exploded through her like gunfire.
She spun toward it, eyes and ears straining. But there was only darkness and
silence.
Fingers touched the back of her neck.
Bonnie whirled again, almost falling, almost fainting. She was too frightened
to scream. When she saw who it was, shock robbed all her senses and her
muscles collapsed. She would have ended up in a heap on the ground if he
hadn't caught her and held her straight.
"You look frightened," Damon said softly.
Bonnie shook her head. She didn't have any voice yet. She thought she still
might faint. But she tried to pull away just the same.
He didn't tighten his grip, but he didn't let go. And struggling did about as
much good as trying to break a brick wall with bare hands. She gave up and
tried to calm her breathing.
"Are you frightened of me?" Damon said. He smiled reprovingly, as if they
shared a secret. "You don't need to be."
How had Elena managed to deal with this? But Elena hadn't, of course, Bonnie
realized.
Elena had succumbed to Damon in the end. Damon had won and had his way.
He released one of her arms to trace, very lightly, the curve of her upper
lip. "I suppose I should go away," he said, "and not scare you anymore. Is
that what you want?"
Like a rabbit with a snake, Bonnie thought. This is how the rabbit feels.
Only I don't suppose he'll kill me. I might just die on my own, though. She
felt as if her legs might melt away at any minute, as if she might collapse.
There wasa warmth and a trembling inside her.
Think of something& fast. Those unfathomable black eyes were filling the
universe now. She thought she could see stars inside them.Think .Quickly.
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