The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 8

It was seriously creepy, verbalize fair(a). They had al bundled into Matts car, Elena hopping onto Stefans lap and Meredith onto Alarics (which, fairish had noted, Dr. Celia had keymed less than thril ed by). Then theyd hurried pricker to the boardinghouse, looking for counsel. Once there, theyd al crowded into the parlor and spil ed away the story to Mrs. Flowers, talking over star another in their excitement. First Celias rear in my blood appearing out of straightwayhere, Bonnie went on, and then theres this weird accident that could have got killed her, and then Merediths note appears, too. It was al just in truth y, real y creepy.Id put it a bit more strongly than that, Meredith said. Then she arched an elegant eyebrow. Bonnie, this is no doubt the first time Ive ever complained you werent be dramatic enough.Hey Bonnie objected. at that place you go, Elena joked. Keep looking on the b just side. The latest insanity is making Bonnie low-key.Matt shook his head. Mrs. Flowers, do you eff whats happening?Mrs. Flowers, seated in a cozy corner chair of the parlor, smiled and patted him on the shoulder. Shed been knitting when they came in, still had laid the pink bundle of yarn deflection and had fixed her calm blue eyes on them with her ful attention as they t grey-haired their story. Dear Matt, she said.Always straight to the point.Poor Celia had been sitting on the couch by Alaric and Meredith, looking stunned since theyd arrived. It was one thing to study the supernatural, but the reality of a vampire, mysteriously appearing names, and a brush with death must have been a shock to her system. Alaric had a reassuring arm around her shoulders. Bonnie melodic theme maybe the arm should have been around Merediths shoulders. After al , Merediths name had just shown up in the scarfs folds. But Meredith was just sitting there, watching Alaric and Celia, her face composed, her eyes unreadable.Now Celia leaned forward and spoke for the first time.Pard on me, she said politely, her voice shaking a bit,but I dont understand why weve brought this this issue to Her voice trailed off as her eyes flickered to Mrs. Flowers.Bonnie knew what she meant. Mrs. Flowers looked like the abstract of a sweet, dotty elderly lady soft flyaway gray hair drawn suffer in a bun, a politely fainthearted expression, a wardrobe that leaned toward pastels or shabby blacks, and a habit of muttering quietly, apparently to herself. A year ago, Bonnie herself had thought Mrs. Flowers was just the crazy old woman who ran the boardinghouse where Stefan lived.But appearances could be deceptive. Mrs. Flowers had earned the respect and admiration of every one of them by the way she had protected the town with her magic, Power, and good sense. There was a lot more to this little old lady than met the eye.My dear, said Mrs. Flowers firmly, youve had a very traumatic experience. Drink your tea. Its a special calming fit thats been passed down in my family for gene rations. We wil do everything we can for you.Which, Bonnie observed, was a very sweet and ladylike way of putting Dr. Celia Connor in her place. She was to drink her tea and recuperate, and they would practice out how to solve the problem. Celias eyes flashed, but she sipped her tea obediently.Now, Mrs. Flowers said, looking around at the others, it seems to me that the first thing to do is to figure out what the intention is empennage the appearance of the names. Once we do that, perhaps we wil have a better idea of who might be behind their appearance.Maybe to warn us? Bonnie said hesitantly. I mean, Celias name appeared, and then she almost died, and straight off Meredith Her voice trailed off and she looked at Meredith apologetical y. Im worried you might be in danger.Meredith squared her shoulders. It for sure wouldnt be the first time, she said.Mrs. Flowers nodded briskly. Yes, its possible that the appearance of the names has a benevolent intention. Lets explore that theo ry. Someone may be trying to get a ensample to you. If so, who? And why do they have to do it in this way?Bonnies voice was even softer and more hesitant now. But if no one else was going to vocalise it, she would. Could it be Damon?Damons dead, Stefan said flatly.But when Elena was dead, she warned me about Klaus, Bonnie argued.Stefan massaged his temples. He looked tired. Bonnie, when Elena died, Klaus trapped her spirit between dimensions. She hadnt ful y passed away. And even then, she could only visit you in your dreams not anyone else, just you, because you can sense things other people cant. She couldnt make anything happen in the physical world.Elenas voice trembled. Bonnie, the Guardians told us that vampires dont live on afterward death. In any sense of the word. Damons gone. Stefan reached out and took her hand, his eyes troubled.Bonnie felt a sharp stab of sympathy for them both. She was sorry shed brought Damon up, but she hadnt been able to stop herself. The though t that he might be watching over them, irascible and mocking but ultimately kind, had briefly lifted the weight from her heart. Now that weight came crashing back down. Wel , she said dul y, then I dont have any idea who might be warning us. Does anybody else?They al shook their heads, baffled. Who even knows about us now that has this kind of power? Matt asked.The Guardians? said Bonnie doubtful y.But Elena shook her head with a quick decisive motion, blond hair swinging. Its not them, she said. The last thing theyd do is send a message in blood. Visions would be more their style. And Im pretty sure the Guardians washed their hands of us when they direct us back here.Mrs. Flowers interlocked her fingers in her lap. So perhaps there is some as yet unknown person or being looking after you, warning you of danger ahead.Matt had been sitting ramrod straight in one of Mrs. Flowerss daintier chairs, and it creaked alarmingly as he leaned forward. Um, he said. I think the better inquire is, whats causing that danger?Mrs. Flowers spread her smal , wrinkled hands. Youre perfectly right. Lets consider the options. On the one hand, it could be a warning for something that was natural y going to happen. Celias you dont brainpower if I cal you Celia, do you, dear? Celia, stil looking shel -shocked, shook her head.Good. Celias scarf getting caught in the train doors could have been a natural accident. Forgive me for saying so, but those long, dramatic scarves can be very dangerous. The dancer Isadora Duncan was kil ed in just that way when her scarf caught in the wheel of a car galore(postnominal) years ago. Perhaps whoever sent the message was simply raising a flag for Celia to be careful, or for the rest of you to take care of her. Perhaps Meredith only needs to be cautious over the next few days.You dont think so, though, do you? asked Meredith sharply.Mrs. Flowers sighed. This al feels rather malevolent to me. I think if someone valued to warn you about the poss ibility of accidents, they could find a better way than names written in blood. Both of these names appeared as the results of rather groundless incidents, correct? Bonnie cutting herself and Stefan ripping the scarf from Celias neck?Meredith nodded.Looking troubled, Mrs. Flowers continued. And, of course, the other possibility is that the appearance of the names is itself malicious. Perhaps the names appearance is an essential part in or targeting method for some spel that is causing the danger.Stefan frowned. Youre talking about dark magic, arent you?Mrs. Flowers met his eyes squarely. Im afraid so. Stefan, youre the oldest and most experienced of us by far. Ive never heard of anything like this, have you?Bonnie felt a bit surprised. Of course, she knew that Stefan was much older than even Mrs. Flowers after al , hed been alive earlier electricity, or running water, or cars, or anything they took for granted in the modern world, while Mrs. Flowers was probably only in her seve nties. But stil , it was easy to forget how long Stefan had lived. He looked just like any other eighteen-year-old, except that he was exceptional y handsome. A traitorous thought flickered at the back of her mind, one shed had before How was it that Elena always got al the best-looking guys?Stefan was shaking his head. Nothing like this, no. But I think youre right that it may be dark magic. Perhaps, if you spoke to your let about itCelia, who was starting to take more of an interest in what was going on, looked at Alaric quizzical y. Then she cast a glance toward the door, as if expecting a hundredyear-old woman to wander in. Bonnie grinned to herself, despite the seriousness of the situation.They had al gotten so matter-of-fact about Mrs. Flowerss frequent conversations with the ghost of her mother that none of them blinked when Mrs. Flowers gazed off into position and started muttering rapidly, eyebrows lifting, eyes scanning unoccupied space as if someone unseen were speaking to her. But to Celia it must have seemed pretty strange.Yes, said Mrs. Flowers, reversive her attention to them.Mama says there is indeed something dark stirring in Fel s Church. But her hands lifted, palms empty she cannot tel what form it takes. She simply warns us to be careful. Whatever it is, she can sense that its deadly.Stefan and Meredith frowned, taking this in. Alaric was murmuring to Celia, probably explaining what was going on. Matt bowed his head.Elena pushed on, already working on the next angle.Bonnie, what about you? she asked.Huh? Bonnie asked. Then she realized what Elena meant. No. Nuh-uh. Im not going to know anything Mrs. Flowerss mother doesnt.Elena just looked at her, and Bonnie sighed. This was important, after al . Merediths name was next, and if there was one thing that was true, it was that she and Meredith and Elena had one anothers backs. Always. Al right, she said reluctantly. Il see if I can find out anything else. Can you light me a candle?What no w? Celia asked in confusion.Bonnies psychic, Elena explained simply.Fascinating, Celia said brightly, but her eyes slid, cool and disbelieving, across Bonnie.Wel , whatever. Bonnie didnt care what she thought. She could assume that Bonnie was pretending or crazy if she wanted to, but shed see what happened eventual y. Elena brought a candle over from its spot on the mantel, lit it, and placed it on the coffee table.Bonnie swal owed, licked her lips, which were suddenly dry, and tried to cogitate on the candle flame. Although shed had plenty of practice, she didnt like doing this, didnt like the sensation of losing herself, as if she were sliding underwater.The flame flickered and grew brighter. It seemed to swel and fil Bonnies field of vision. Al 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 fal into a trance. A faraway childs 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, fil ed her mouth.Envy twisted, sharp and bitter, interior her. Its not fair, not fair, something muttered sul enly in her skul . And then blackness took over.Elena watched apprehensively as Bonnies 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, hol ow voice that didnt sound anything like Bonnies came from her friends mouth. Its not here yet, but it wants to be. Its cold. Its 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, c hoking laugh. Its much stronger than any vampire. It can find a household in any of you. Watch one another. Watch yourselves.What is it? asked Matt.Whatever it was that spoke through Bonnie hesitated.She doesnt know, said Stefan. Or she cant tel us. Bonnie, he said intently, is someone transport this thing to us? Whos causing it?No hesitation this time. Elena, it said. Elena brought it.