The Dark Reunion

by L. J. Smith

  “Why?” demanded Bonnie. Such a contrast to Meredith, Stefan thought. Hair as red as fire and a spirit to go with it. That delicate heart-shaped face and fair, translucent skin were deceptive, though. Bonnie was smart and resourceful—even if she was only beginning to find that out herself.

  “Because if I’m wrong, an innocent person might get hurt. Look, at this point it’s just an idea. But I promise if I find any evidence tonight to back it up, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  “You could talk with Mrs. Grimesby,” Meredith suggested. “She’s the town librarian, and she knows a lot about the founding of Fell’s Church.”

  “Or there’s always Honoria,” Bonnie said. “I mean, she was one of the founders.”

  Stefan looked at her quickly. “I thought Honoria Fell had stopped communicating with you,” he said carefully.

  “I don’t mean talk to her. She’s gone, pfft, kaput,” Bonnie said disgustedly. “I mean her journal. It’s right there in the library with Elena’s; Mrs. Grimesby has them on display near the circulation desk.”

  Stefan was surprised. He didn’t entirely like the idea of Elena’s journal on display. But Honoria’s records might be exactly what he was looking for. Honoria had not just been a wise woman; she had been well versed in the supernatural. A witch.

  “The library’s closed by now, though,” Meredith said.

  “That’s even better,” said Stefan. “No one will know what information we’re interested in. Two of us can go down there and break in, and the other two can stay here. Meredith, if you’ll come with me—”

  “I’d like to stay here, if you don’t mind,” she said. “I’m tired,” she added in explanation, seeing his expression. “And this way I can get my watch over with and get home earlier. Why don’t you and Matt go and Bonnie and I stay here?”

  Stefan was still looking at her. “Okay,” he said slowly. “Fine. If it’s all right with Matt.” Matt shrugged. “That’s it, then. It might take us a couple of hours or more. You two stay in the car with the doors locked. You should be safe enough that way.” If he was rig ht in his suspicions, there wouldn’t be any more attacks for a while—a few days at least. Bonnie and Meredith should be safe. But he couldn’t help wonder what was behind Meredith’s suggestion. Not simple tiredness, he was sure.

  “By the way, where’s Damon?” Bonnie asked as he and Matt started to leave.

  Stefan felt his stomach muscles tighten. “I don’t know.” He had been waiting for someone to ask that. He hadn’t seen his brother since last night, and he had no idea what Damon might be doing.

  “He’ll show up eventually,” he said, and closed the door on Meredith’s, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  He and Matt walked to the library in silence, keeping to the shadows, skirting areas of light. He couldn’t afford to be seen. Stefan had come back to help Fell’s Church, but he felt sure Fell’s Church didn’t want his help. He was a stranger again, an intruder here. They would hurt him if they caught him.

  The library lock was easy to pick, just a simple spring mechanism. And the journals were right where Bonnie had said they would be.

  Stefan forced his hand away from Elena’s journal. Inside was the record of Elena’s last days, in her own handwriting. If he started thinking about that now …

  He concentrated on the leather-bound book beside it. The faded ink on the yellowing pages was hard to read, but after a few minutes his eyes got accustomed to the dense, intricate writing with its elaborate curlicues.

  It was the story of Honoria Fell and her husband, who with the Smallwoods and a few other families had come to this place when it was still virgin wilderness. They had faced not only the dangers of isolation and hunger but of native wildlife. Honoria told the story of their battle to survive simply and clearly, without sentimentality.

  And in those pages Stefan found what he was looking for.

  With a prickling at the back of his neck, he reread the entry carefully. At last he leaned back and shut his eyes.

  He’d been right. There was no longer any doubt in his mind. And that meant he must also be right about what was going on in Fell’s Church now. For an instant, bright sickness washed over him, and an anger that made him want to rip and tear and hurt something. Sue. Pretty Sue who had been Elena’s friend had died for … that. A blood ritual, an obscene initiation. It made him want to kill.

  But then the rage faded, replaced by a fierce determination to stop what was happening and set things right.

  I promise you, he whispered to Elena in his own mind. I will stop it somehow. No matter what.

  He looked up to find Matt looking at him.

  Elena’s journal was in Matt’s hand, closing itself over his thumb. Just then Matt’s eyes looked as dark a blue as Elena’s. Too dark, full of turmoil and grief and something like bitterness.

  “You found it,” Matt said. “And it’s bad.”

  “Yes.”

  “It would be.” Matt pushed Elena’s journal back into the case and stood. There was a ring almost of satisfaction in his voice. Like somebody who’s just proved a point.

  “I could have saved you the trouble of coming here.” Matt surveyed the darkened library, jingling change in his pocket. A casual observer might have thought he was relaxed, but his voice betrayed him. It was raw with strain. “You just think of the worst thing you can imagine and that’s always the truth,” he said.

  “Matt…” Sudden concern stabbed at Stefan. He’d been too preoccupied since coming back to Fell’s Church to look at Matt properly. Now he realized that he’d been unforgivably stupid. Something was terribly wrong. Matt’s whole body was rigid with tension lying just under the surface. And Stefan could sense the anguish, the desperation in his mind.

  “Matt, what is it?” he said quietly. He got up and crossed to the other boy. “Is it something I did?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re shaking.” It was true. Fine tremors were running through the taut muscles.

  “I said I’m fine!” Matt swung away from him, shoulders hunched defensively. “Anyway, what could you have done to upset me? Besides taking my girl and getting her killed, I mean?”

  This stab was different, it was somewhere around Stefan’s heart and it went straight through. Like the blade that had killed him once upon a time. He tried to breathe around it, not trusting himself to speak.

  “I’m sorry.” Matt’s voice was leaden, and when Stefan looked, he saw that the tense shoulders had slumped. “That was a lousy thing to say.”

  “It was the truth.” Stefan waited a moment and then added, levelly, “But it’s not the whole problem, is it?”

  Matt didn’t answer. He stared at the floor, pushing something invisible with the side of one shoe. Just when Stefan was about to give up, he turned with a question of his own.

  “What’s the world really like?”

  “What’s … what?”

  “The world. You’ve seen a lot of it, Stefan. You’ve got four or five centuries on the rest of us, right? So what’s the deal? I mean, is it basically the kind of place worth saving or is it essentially a pile of crap?”

  Stefan shut his eyes. “Oh.”

  “And what about people, huh, Stefan? The human race. Are we the disease or just a symptom? I mean, you take somebody like—like Elena.” Matt’s voice shook briefly, but he went on. “Elena died to keep the town safe for girls like Sue. And now Sue’s dead. And it’s all happening again. It’s never over. We can’t win. So what does that tell you?”

  “Matt.”

  “What I’m really asking is, what’s the point? Is there some cosmic joke I’m not getting? Or is the whole thing just one big freaking mistake? Do you understand what I’m trying to say here?”

  “I understand, Matt.” Stefan sat down and ran his hands through his hair. “If you’ll shut up a minute, I’ll try to answer you.”

  Matt drew up a chair and straddled it. “Great. Take your best shot.” His eyes were hard and cha
llenging, but underneath Stefan saw the bewildered hurt that had been festering there.

  “I’ve seen a lot of evil, Matt, more than you can imagine,” Stefan said. “I’ve even lived it. It’s always going to be a part of me, no matter how I fight it. Sometimes I think the whole human race is evil, much less my kind. And sometimes I think that enough of both our races is evil that it doesn’t matter what happens to the rest.

  “When you get down to it, though, I don’t know any more than you do. I can’t tell you if there’s a point or if things are ever going to turn out all right.” Stefan looked straight into Matt’s eyes and spoke deliberately. “But I’ve got another question for you. So what?”

  Matt stared. “So what?”

  “Yeah. So what.”

  “So what if the universe is evil and if nothing we do to try and change it can really make any difference?” Matt’s voice was gaining volume with his disbelief.

  “Yeah, so what?” Stefan leaned forward. “So what are you going to do, Matt Honeycutt, if every bad thing you’ve said is true? What are you going to do personally? Are you going to stop fighting and swim with the sharks?”

  Matt was grasping the back of his chair. “What are you talking about?”

  “You can do that, you know. Damon says so all the time. You can join up with the evil side, the winning side. And nobody can really blame you, because if the universe is that way, why shouldn’t you be that way too?”

  “Like hell!” Matt exploded. His blue eyes were searing and he had half risen from his chair. “That’s Damon’s way, maybe! But just because it’s hopeless doesn’t mean it’s all right to stop fighting. Even if I knew it was hopeless, I’d still have to try. I have to try, damn it!”

  “I know.” Stefan settled back and smiled faintly. It was a tired smile, but it showed the kinship he felt right then with Matt. And in a moment he saw by Matt’s face that Matt understood.

  “I know because I feel the same way,” Stefan continued. “There’s no excuse for giving up just because it looks like we’re going to lose. We have to try—because the other choice is to surrender.”

  “I’m not ready to surrender anything,” Matt said through his teeth. He looked as if he’d fought his way back to a fire inside him that had been burning all along. “Ever,” he said.

  “Yeah, well, ‘ever’ is a long time,” Stefan said. “But for what it’s worth, 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 named Gervase of Tilbury, 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 felt a warmth that took away the stabbing pain.

  And some of the loneliness, too.

  8

  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 having trouble 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 they both 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 filled Bonnie’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 she knew was there.

  I’m not alone, she realized.

  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 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.

  H
e 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 was a 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.

  Elena wouldn’t like it, she thought, just as his lips touched hers. Yes, that was it. But the problem was, she didn’t have the strength to say it. The warmth was growing, rushing out to all parts of her, from her fingertips to the soles of her feet. His lips were cool, like silk, but everything else was so warm. She didn’t need to be afraid; she could just let go and float on this. Sweetness rushed through her….

  “What the hell is going on?”

  The voice broke the silence, broke the spell. Bonnie started and found herself able to turn her head. Matt was standing at the edge of the yard, his fists clenched, his eyes like chips of blue ice. Ice so cold it burned.

  “Get away from her,” Matt said.

  To Bonnie’s surprise, the grip on her arms eased. She stepped back, straightening her blouse, a little breathless. Her mind was working again.

  “It’s okay,” she said to Matt, her voice almost normal. “I was just—”

  “Go back to the car and stay there.”

  Now wait a minute, thought Bonnie. She was glad Matt had come; the interruption had been very conveniently timed. But he was coming on a little heavy with the protective older brother bit.