Dark Reunion

For a moment she thought he was going to try to make her do it. His mouth tightened in an obstinate line, and his eyes blazed even brighter. But then, slowly, the fire died out of them.

Bonnie felt her heart tear. "Stefan, I’m sorry," she whispered.

"We’ll just have to do it on our own," he said. The mask was back on, but his smile looked stiff, as if it hurt him. Then he spoke more briskly. "First we have to find out who this killer is, what he wants here. All we know now is that something evil has come to Fell’s Church again."

"But why?" said Bonnie. "Why would anything evil just happen to pick here? Haven’t we been through enough?"

"It does seem a bit of a strange coincidence," Meredith said drolly. "Why should we be so singularly blessed?"

"It’s not coincidence," said Stefan. He got up and lifted his hands as if unsure how to start. "There are some places on this earth that are… different," he said. "That are full of psychic energy, either positive or negative, good or evil. Some of them have always been that way, like the Bermuda Triangle and Salisbury Plain, the place where they built Stonehenge. Others become that way, especially where a lot of blood has been shed." He looked at Bonnie.

"Unquiet spirits," she whispered.

"Yes. There was a battle here, wasn’t there?"

"In the Civil War," Matt said. "That’s how the church in the cemetery got ruined. It was a slaughter on both sides. Nobody won, but almost everyone who fought got killed. The woods are full of their graves."

"And the ground was soaked with blood. A place like that draws the supernatural to it. It draws evil to it. That’s why Katherine was attracted to Fell’s Church in the first place. I felt it too, when I first came here."

"And now something else has come," Meredith said, perfectly serious for once. "But how are we supposed to fight it?"

"We have to know what we’re fighting first. I think…" But before he could finish, there was a creak and pale, dusty sunlight fell across the bales of hay. The barn door had opened.

Mrs. Flowers, who owned the boarding house, smiled at them, her little black eyes crinkling into wrinkles. She was carrying a tray.

"I thought you children might like something to drink while you’re talking," she said comfortably.

Everyone exchanged disconcerted glances. How had she known they were out here? And how could she be so calm about it?

"Here you go," Mrs. Flowers continued. "This is grape juice, made from my own Concord grapes." She put a paper cup beside Meredith, then Matt, then Bonnie. "And here are some gingersnap cookies. Fresh." She held the plate around. Bonnie noticed she didn’t offer any to Stefan or Damon.

"You two can come round to the cellar if you like and try some of my blackberry wine," she said to them, with what Bonnie would swear was a wink.

Stefan took a deep, wary breath. "Uh, look, Mrs. Flowers…"

"And your old room’s just like you left it. Nobody’s been up there since you went. You can use it when you want; it won’t put me out a bit."

Stefan seemed at a loss for words. "Well-thank you. Thank you very much. But -"

"If you’re worried I’ll say something to somebody, you can set your mind at ease. I don’t tend to run off at the mouth. Never have, never will. How’s that grape juice?" -turning suddenly on Bonnie.

Bonnie hastily took a gulp. "Good," she said truthfully.

"When you finish, throw the cups in the trash. I like things kept tidy." Mrs. Flowers cast a look about the barn, shaking her head and sighing. "Such a shame. Such a pretty girl." She looked at Stefan piercingly with eyes like onyx beads. "You’ve got your work cut out for you this time, boy," she said, and left, still shaking her head.

"Well!" said Bonnie, staring after her, amazed. Everyone else just looked at each other blankly.

" ‘Such a pretty girl’-but which?" said Mere-dith at last. "Sue or Elena?" Elena had actually spent a week or so in this very barn last winter-but Mrs. Flowers wasn’t supposed to know that. "Did you say something to her about us?" Meredith asked Damon.

"Not a word." Damon seemed amused. "She’s an old lady. She’s batty."

"She’s sharper than any of us gave her credit for," Matt said. "When I think of the days we spent watching her potter around that basement-do you think she knew we were watching?"

days we spent watching her potter around that basement-do you think she knew we were watching?"

"And grape juice, don’t forget that." Matt grinned at Stefan. "Want some?" He proffered the leaky cup.

"Yeah, you can take your grape juice and…" But Stefan was almost smiling himself. For an instant Bonnie saw the two of them the way they used to be, before Elena had died. Friendly, warm, as comfortable together as she and Meredith were. A pang went through her.

But Elena isn’t dead, she thought. She’s more here than ever. She’s directing everything we say and do.

Stefan had sobered again. "When Mrs. Flowers came in, I was about to say that we’d better get started. And I think we should start with Vickie."

"She won’t see us," Meredith replied instantly. "Her parents are keeping everyone away."

"Then we’ll just have to bypass her parents," Stefan said. "Are you coming with us, Damon?"

"A visit to yet another pretty girl? I wouldn’t miss it."

Bonnie turned to Stefan in alarm, but he spoke reassuringly as he guided her out of the barn. "It’ll be all right. I’ll keep an eye on him."