𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓: 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝘀, 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
                          
Chapter Seventeen
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For Us, There Are No Rules
                          
February 26th, 2010
Standing with Damon, I was infuriated with Bonnie, for lying to me, for lying to us. For almost getting myself and my brother killed, incidentally putting Caroline in harm's way as the device affected both Mayor Lockwood and his son, meaning something supernatural was brewing in their bloodline.
  "They don't know if she's gonna make it," Bonnie confesses to Elena as she wraps the taller stunned brunette in a hug, Damon and I watch from afar, moderately pissed off with the circumstances.
  "Is there something you can do? A spell or something?" Elena urgently questions before I advance towards them, arms crossed looking sternly down at Bonnie.
  "She doesn't know how. Do you?" I insert, both my brother and I stepping beside them to interject ourselves into their conversation.
  "But what about you? You're older than Bonnie so surely you would know more right?" Elena frantically asks, running out of options to save Caroline's life.
  "I'm not powerful enough to do such a spell, I exerted all of my power to Damon when I thought I was going to burn alive, for the second time." I snap, glancing towards Bonnie which convicts a look of dismay across both teenager's faces, mild disturbance of stoicism even glided itself across Damon's face. My last run-in with an inferno was not a subject I spoke of lightly, maybe not even at all. The memories of my liquefying flesh still tormented my nightmares, ninety years on.
  "And you wouldn't know where to start with a spell like that, it took both Emily and Marielle years to even begin learning a spell like that." Damon enunciated, as an act to leap to my aid to make Bonnie regrettably feel worse.
  "Yeah, well, I can take down a vampire. That spell was easy to learn thanks to Elle." Bonnie spat back, no longer afraid of what Damon could do to her if she stepped out of line. Teaching her strengthier spells might have been a misstep, she was becoming overconfident with her abilities.
  "And I know more torturous spells for both vampires, witches and humans alike. So how about we stop with the pissing contest and find a way to help Caroline." I jeered, unafraid of Bonnie's lacklustre powers compared to that of her ancestors. The young girl had another thing coming if she thought she was going to be the number one witch in town.
  "How about I give Caroline some blood," Damon proposed, solely in Elena's direction.
  "No. No way, we can't risk it." Elena denied, shaking her head as she trifled through all of our other options.
  "Just enough to heal her. She'll be safe in the hospital. It'll be out of her system in a day. She'll be better, Elena." Damon discussed, making a valiant effort to create a solution to our dying Caroline problem.
  "It's too risky. I can't agree to that." Elena gainsaid before Bonnie stepped up to the plate.
  "Do it. This is Caroline. Ok? We can't let her die. So, do it." Bonnie finalises, content albeit uncomfortable with our final denominator. 
                          
I follow after Bonnie as she makes her final statement to the pair, following her every move as we walk side-by-side for some fresh air in the Hospital parking lot.
  "What did you mean? By the 'second time'." Bonnie probes, leaning against the brick wall as I sit in front on one of the steel decorated benches. Scratching at my palms, lakes of red marks form before a few of them bleed, my mind going back to that place. Bonnie passed around the bench to take my fiddling hands, a guilt-ridden expression stained across her face.
  "Elle, what happened?" Bonnie coaxed, taking a seat beside me as she still gripped firmly onto my burning hands.
  "1919. The man I was dating at the time...he was a vampire. One of his enemies compelled someone to capture our friends, practically crucifying them on stage. It was our second anniversary, he took me to the Opera House that night. The same man who captured our friends stabbed me in the stomach before burning half of the city to the ground. The Opera House went with it. I felt it, my skin melting away from the bone as I was somehow still alive, cursed to watch everything play out before my eyes." I lamented, leaning forwards with my head nestled into my hands.
  "I never lived properly after that. The big crowds, parties, all of it, I could never be surrounded by so many people without seeing those who died alongside me that night." I continued, straightening my back as to ignore Bonnie's concerned features.
  "Elle I-"
  "Marie! Come with me, now." Damon dictated, plucking me up from the seat beside Bonnie as I mumbled a short apology, Elena shuffling alongside us into the car.
  "What was so important, Bonnie and I were talking." I inquire, wiping away stray tears as I refocus on the road in front from the back seat.
  "I'll explain later." Damon clinched, wanting to hear no more from me as we drive Elena home, or rather accompany Elena home. 

Elena hands me the keys as she fumbles with her bag, finding the keys she presses them into the lock, twisting to successfully open the door to reveal Stefan, who's bones have just cracked back into place.
  "Stefan? What happened?" Elena questions, walking further into the home as we all neglect to shut the front door.
  "Katherine happened." Damon smugly confirmed, catching me completely off guard. So Katherine was alive and well, back in Mystic Falls with a free invitation to the Gilbert household, so what else could go horrifically wrong? Maybe the entire town exploding was next on the bucket list. Deciding it was my time to leave, I take Damon's car, assuming that he could find his own way home for the night. Searching across the seat, glovebox and maybe even the ignition I search for the keys to the car, only to stumble across a light crunch, a squashed piece of paper laid on the floor of the front passenger seat, plucking it into my fingers to unravel it, the note simply read: