Liaison [Sequel to Captured Hearts]

II

   Author's note at the end.

   

  People had stared at her in school that day. Bonnie Bennett was slow, tired and she was featuring ugly, purple bags beneath her dull eyes from the lack of sleep. She could hear them whispering about her, even from all the way down the halls, and she was certain that her new hearing ability wasn't at all normal. Caroline hadn't been at school, much to Bonnie's disappointment, meaning that she couldn't confront her friend about what had happened the previous night.
  Elena had been missing too, and Bonnie decided to go along with the assumption that they were planning assassination plans against Kol. It might not have been true, but it kept Bonnie distracted while she thought of all the colourful ways she could protect him. 
  The school bell went off with a metallic ring, signalling the end of the last class. Bonnie was the first to rise from her seat, since she hadn't even bothered to pull out her books at the beginning of the class. It wasn't like her at all, but she just hadn't been feeling like herself since she'd come back last night. Maybe it was a result of her body not functioning properly yet. Or maybe it was anxiety. She picked up her bag and hurried out of the room, pulling her mobile phone from her jacket pocket and instantly started to punch in Kol's number. 
  "Bonnie," Matt called out, and when she stopped to turn, she could see her blonde friend hurrying towards her. He was smiling, and his blue eyes seemed to glisten in the light.
  "Matt?" Bonnie tried for a smile. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude but there's something that I need to do. It's pretty urgent."
  "Could it wait?" Matt stopped in front of her, and his smile faltered for a few seconds. "You were gone for months, Bon. Without a word. Even your dad didn't know where you were."
  Dad. Bonnie flinched at that. She hadn't seen her father for a while, and she had even forgotten to call him and tell him that she was okay. Well, okay-ish. Truth be told, Bonnie just didn't care about her dad. The only thing that mattered was - nothing. 
  "I'm back now, and I'm not going anywhere. Come around later and we can talk."
  "Later? Why not now? Who are you going to go meet?"
  Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him. "Caroline told you, didn't she?"
  Matt glanced down at the floor, and Bonnie watched silently as he kicked at an invisible rock. He looked back up, and a small slither of blonde hair had fallen into his blue eyes. She hadn't realized how long his hair had actually gotten since the last time she had seen him. He really needed to trim up. Matt opened his mouth to speak, but Bonnie glanced over his shoulder, spotting the girl she had been wanting to speak with ever since she was woken from the dead. 
  "This is urgent," Bonnie said, and she put her hand to Matt's shoulder as if she were somehow comforting him. He looked down at her hand and creased his eyebrows together. "I promise we'll talk later. I'll stop by the Grill."
  "Oh -" She hadn't bothered to wait for him to finish his sentence, and instead, she pushed past him and hurried down the hall. Her flats slapped against the hard surface as she broke out into a run. 
  "Rebekah!" Bonnie called out, and the blonde original hesitated long enough that Bonnie managed to catch up to her side. Rebekah stared at her for a long beat, before blinking at her as if she were an ant on her perfect pumps. 
  "Oh. I see you're still alive," Rebekah said dryly. But Bonnie could hear the tinge of uncertainty, the tremor in her voice.
  "So is Kol," Bonnie pointed out, and she saw the vampire's shoulders go tense as she continued to walk through the school doors and into the bright sunlight. "You're welcome for that." 
  "My family doesn't need to owe you any favours," she snapped. "Next time, don't help."
  "You think I helped for the benefit of your family?"
  Rebekah let a tired sigh escape from her glossy lips, and when she looked down at the witch, blonde hair dropped in front of her eyes. She flicked it vigorously out of her eyes. 
  "What do you want?" Rebekah asked.
  "How do you know Kol?" Bonnie struggled to keep up. "Did someone in your family turn him?"
  Rebekah let out a snort. "No, of course not. Didn't my brothers already tell you the night you practically ruined my party?"
  "I think they lied to me."
  "You're smarter than you look," the side of her lips twitched up, and Bonnie was almost convinced that it was a smile of pride. Almost. "Alright, what do you want to know?" 
  "I want to know who Kol is." 
  "You'll have to be more vague."
  Bonnie went quiet, and she stared at the car in front of her. It was shiny and new, and it let out a loud yelp as Rebekah pressed her thumb to the keypad. 
  "Did you turn him? Did any of you turn him?" 
  "No," Rebekah was the one who was quiet now, and she was watching Bonnie as if she were seeing her for the very first time. "Do you really love Kol?"
  Bonnie didn't need to hesitate, "yes." 
  "Then come to the mansion later on. We'll have you over for dinner," Rebekah paused and said, "who knows? Maybe you can show me how to make s'mores and paint each others nails like little school girls."
  Bonnie raised her eyebrows at her in response. 
  "And the answer to your question?" Rebekah slid into the drivers seat and turned on the ignition. She was stalling time. "No, we didn't turn Kol. Our father did."
  Bonnie didn't get to open her mouth again before the car took off, leaving a cloud of black smoke.