‘There, there and there.’ Meg speedily clicked three pieces into place. Time had passed in comfortable silence, the only noises being murmured directions and the construction of the Ascendant. It was nearly done, and they had – she checked her watch – fifty-six minutes to spare. They had actually managed to do it.
Bonnie absent-mindedly reached for the next piece, but her hand closed on air. She turned to look at the table properly, eyes widening when she saw only the white wood. No piece in sight. ‘Where’s the next piece?’ she demanded desperately, pushing pads of paper and discarded pills to the floor.
Meg grabbed her bag and started groping around inside it. Please don’t say we missed the very last piece, that would be too cruel… she pleaded wildly, turning the backpack inside out looking for the last little mechanism that could mean the difference between life and death.
It was empty.
Growling in frustration, she threw the backpack away and looked at the witch. Bonnie had her head in her hands and was whispering, ‘This isn’t happening.’
She glared at the half-constructed Ascendant, quite useless without the final piece. God, that thing had hurt her so much. It was ridiculous how many times it had wrecked her life. Hardly surprising, really – Ascendants were the Gemini Coven’s favourite way to punish their enemies. It appealed to their self-righteousness – they, after all, weren’t killing them. They were just putting them in a painful purgatory for eternity.
There was a bang, and a rattling noise as the power shut down. One by one, the lights flickered out. Kai was awake. Bonnie stared down the deserted, darkened hallway, breathing remarkably steady, and then marched off to a side-door. Meg followed, feeling particularly vulnerable; she had no idea where they were going.
She looked around cautiously, stepping lightly and slowly. The air was thick with apprehension, and every line of her posture was tense. But Bonnie managed to remain calm, even as she watched for any sign of Kai. They rounded one more corner, and a voice made them shiver.
‘Looking for this?’ Kai held up the missing piece, smirking. Blood was drying around his neck and large bruises were blossoming around his collarbone, caused by Bonnie’s stunt with the pen. Meg exhaled sharply.
‘You stole the Ascendant.’ he said in a sing-song voice. ‘Naughty girl. You weren’t planning on using it and leaving me behind, were you?’
In all honesty, Meg didn’t know what she had been planning. She had tried hard not to think about it.
‘You left a trail of blood in the driveway,’ he explained, ‘and where else would you stop and play nurse?’
Bonnie’s face twisted with loathing and she shouted, ‘Vardos!’, raising her hand to face her palm in Kai’s direction. The effect was devastating. Like he had some weird gravitational pull, all the furniture started to converge on him, hiding Bonnie from his sight as the glass around him exploded. The shards fell on him like hailstones, but Bonnie didn’t wait for them to stop. Grabbing the horrified Meg’s hand, she started pulling her down another hallway and eventually into the open.
She ran to Damon’s old car and forced open the door, climbing into the driver’s seat. Meg was about to argue, saying Bonnie couldn’t possibly drive like this, but then she remembered her own injury. She had almost forgotten about it. Gritting her teeth, she opened the other door and piled herself in.
Bonnie turned the keys, it wouldn’t start. ‘Something must be wrong with the engine…’ she muttered as the car protested.
She saw something move in the mirror and barely had time to scream, ‘Bonnie, get out!’ before a pair of hands had her by the neck.
‘You always did have a thing for cars, Nut-Meg…’ Kai breathed, his face far too close to her’s. One hand was clasped around her neck; his other was around Bonnie’s. Damn, she hadn’t gotten out.
‘Get off!’ Bonnie struggled, clenching her teeth.
‘I thought about taking the keys…’ he whispered in Meg’s ear. ‘But that’d be like taking the cheese out of a mouse trap, right? Although,’ he laughed, ‘you know, fun fact – mice? Don’t actually like cheese. Isn’t that crazy?’
Meg had been holding her breath, but now she let out a half-sob, half-groan. He was too close. ‘Shh, shhh…’ he hushed against her cheek. ‘So, we have… an hour, until the eclipse. It’s time to go home, Meg. Bonnie.’
His hands loosened around her neck and she coughed, stumbling out of the car. Oh, boy. That had been… conflicting.
Bonnie got out grudgingly, eyes filled with tears. She had been beaten, and she hated it. Putting an arm around, her, Meg watched Kai warily as he whistled. ‘C’mon, girls.’ he laughed, coming up behind them and adding his arm to the pile. ‘Time to have some fun.’
***
‘Are you alright, Bonnie?’ Meg asked quietly, voice echoing off the stone walls of the tunnel.
‘Yeah… I’m fine.’ the witch nodded, as if convincing herself. The constant drip drip of water was the only company the two girls had right now. Kai had gone to pick up more supplies, but not without warning them that if they tried to leave, they’d have a shorter homecoming than they would like. Bonnie hadn’t even blink when he left. All the fight seemed to have drained out of her.
‘I brought you a present.’ Kai’s return made Meg jump, and then shake her head. She should be used to that by now – he had an awful habit of turning up when you least expected it.
There was a loud thump as he dropped the backpack from his shoulder onto the rocky floor. He unzipped it, and pulled out… a teddy bear. ‘Tada. Miss Cuddles. Thought you might wanna bring her along.’
Bonnie raised her thin eyebrows sarcastically. ‘Thanks.’
There was a pause. Kai seemed to be waiting for Bonnie to break it; Bonnie was remaining resolutely silent. ‘Look,’ he finally gave in, ‘I know you think I’m a monster. I mean, I did murder, or heavily maim, most of my immediate family. But, after a long period of self-reflection… I’ve come to the conclusion that I could’ve handled my anger better.’
This time it was Meg’s turn to raise her eyebrows cynically. It was a line straight from a talk show. Manipulation 101.
‘You said you wanted to get outta here, and I quote, “to give the rest of the Gemini Coven an excruciating death.’ Bonnie wasn’t a fool.
He waved it off, looking at the floor. ‘I – I didn’t mean it. Honestly, I would do anything… to get my family back. And the thing I’m most scared of is trying to figure out how to… live in the world again. Sorta hoping you’ve been a positive influence, Bonnie.’ he smiled. ‘You’re a good person. You’re brave… loyal… patient. I wanna be more like you.’
Bonnie couldn’t look at him. Meg was off at the side, apparently forgotten. Kai knew it was pointless to try and compliment her; she knew she wasn’t any of those things he had listed. He pulled the bear out of the bag and held it up, grinning. ‘What’d you say?’ he said in a squeaky voice. ‘Friends?’ he made the bear blow a kiss towards the witch, and Meg found her eyes drifting almost magnetically to her watch.
‘It’s nearly time.’ she interrupted, stepping closer to the two. Kai shot her a mischievous grin, which she ignored pointedly.
The witch agreed. ‘Let’s just go home.’
Shrugging, he put the toy back in the bag. He threw it to the ground at Bonnie’s feet, pulling the Ascendant out of his pocket. She took it reluctantly, and once again sliced her hand open on it.
‘Tetanus…’ Meg muttered, and she gave her a small smile.
‘It’s now or never.’ Kai declared, as the eclipse passed overhead. As Bonnie began the spell again, he grabbed her hand, still dripping blood. The witch jerked out of her trance, looking at him indignantly. ‘Just in case you try to leave without me.’ he smiled, and then winked. Meg tried to stop it, but it was instinct; she looked at her watch. 12.28 PM, right on the dot.
Shaking slightly, Bonnie began again. The Ascendant, that blasted thing, creaked as it shifted again, a shadow going over it as the sun was completely covered. ‘So long, 1994…’ Kai muttered, as it moved once more.
There was an oddly final slam of magic in the air around them, and Bonnie winced, stopping her spell. Meg looked around, confused, and Kai flushed. ‘What the hell is happening?’
‘I… I don’t know.’ Bonnie stuttered, in the same kind of voice Jo used when pretending she didn’t know what went wrong with the merge. She narrowed her eyes.
‘Keep going, hurry.’ he urged, as the sunlight came down the shaft again.
‘I can’t!’
‘Keep going!’ he repeated, eyes blazing.
‘I CAN’T, I’ve lost my magic!’ she looked him in the eye.
‘What’re you talking about, you just had it?’ Meg played along.
‘You were just doing the spell!’ Kai shouted frantically, swatting the Ascendant out the way and grabbing Bonnie’s wrists. The anger melted from his face as disbelief filtered in. ‘There’s nothing there… there’s no magic.’
‘So strange.’ Meg mused.
‘I wonder if I… accidentally put it somewhere?’ Bonnie asked sweetly, tilting her head. ‘Oh, I remember now! I put it somewhere safe.’
Kai put his head in his hands, shaking with oncoming fury, and turned on his heel. ‘Where. Did. You. Put. Your. Magic.’ he forced out.
‘D’you remember saying you wanted to be more like me? Brave… loyal… patient…’ Each word was like a shot in the heart to Kai. He was breathing heavily, and making manic noises in the back of his throat. Meg took a step toward him sub-consciously, but as he spoke again she stepped back.
‘You put it in the bear.’ he realised, mouth agape as this revelation dawned on him. He gave a little laugh. ‘Didn’t you?’
Turning around sharply, he strode forward and snatched the bag from by Bonnie’s feet. It was already open; as he picked it up, all the CDs and cassettes and random 90s debris he had picked up clattered to the floor. There was no sign of Miss Cuddles.
Rage seemed to take him over for a second, overriding his cool exterior. Kai threw the bag away, yelling unintelligibly. Meg cringed, moving back into the shadows, but Bonnie remained resolute, even as Kai invaded that important foot of personal space. ‘Where’s the stupid bear?’ he asked, dangerously calm. ‘Does Meg have it? Meg!’ he barked, blue eyes flitting to the girl in the shadows. ‘Where’s the bear, Meg?’
Steeling herself, she shook her head. ‘I don’t know.’ she answered as monotonously as she could.
‘Come on, Meg.’ he walked closer, pushing her back until she was pinned against the wall. ‘Where’s the bear?’
‘I… don’t know.’ she managed to get out. This time, she wasn’t falling for it. She was going to be strong.
‘Kai!’ Bonnie warned him, but of course he ignored her. Meg locked eyes with her over his shoulder, telling her she’d be alright, but the witch was biting her lip.
‘To hell with this.’ he growled, and reached down to kiss her.
Oh, crap.