These were the more common kind of star bal , the kind that had, not Power in them, but memories, stories, or lessons.
When you held one to your temple, you were immersed in whatever material had been imprinted on the bal .
"Better than TV,"Damon said. "Much."
Bonnie nodded slightly. She was stil crushed, and she was so smal , so slight, her skin so pale and fine, her hair such a flame of bril iance in the dim crimson light that seeped through the blinds, that as always Damon found himself melting slightly. "Do you have any questions?"he asked her final y.
Bonnie said slowly, "And - you're going to be...?"
"Out getting the vampire versions of Who's Who and the Book of Peers,"Damon said. "I'm looking for a lady of quality."
After Damon had left, Bonnie looked around the room.
It was horrible. Dark brown and just horrible! She had been trying to save Damon from going back into the Dark Dimension because she remembered the terrible way that slaves - who were mostly humans - were treated.
But did he appreciate that? Did he? Not in the slightest! And then when she'd been fal ing through the light with him, she'd thought that at least they would be going to Lady Ulma's, the Cinderel a-story woman whom Elena had rescued and who had then regained her wealth and status and had designed beautiful dresses so that the girls could go to fancy parties.
There would have been big beds with satin sheets and maids who brought strawberries and clotted cream for breakfast. There would have been sweet Lakshmi to talk to, and gruff Dr. Meggar, and...
Bonnie looked around the brown room and the plain rush-fil ed pal et with its single blanket. She picked up a star bal listlessly, and then let it drop from her fingers.
Suddenly, a great sleepiness fil ed her, making her head swim. It was like a fog rol ing in. There was absolutely no question of fighting it. Bonnie stumbled toward the bed, fel onto it, and was asleep almost before she had settled under the blanket.
"It's my fault far more than yours,"Stefan was saying to Meredith. "Elena and I were - deeply asleep - or he'd never have managed any part of it. I'd have noticed him talking with Bonnie. I'd have realized he was taking you hostage. Please don't blame yourself, Meredith."
"I should have tried to warn you. I just never expected Bonnie to come running out and grab him,"Meredith said. Her dark gray eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Elena squeezed her hand, sick in the pit of her stomach herself.
"You certainly couldn't be expected to fight off Damon,"Stefan said flatly. "Human or vampire - he's trained; he knows moves that you could never counter. You can't blame yourself."
Elena was thinking the same thing. She was worried about Damon's disappearance - and terrified for Bonnie. Yet at another level of her mind she was wondering at the lacerations on Meredith's palm that she was trying to warm.
The strangest thing was that the wounds appeared to have been treated - rubbed slick with lotion. But she wasn't going to bother Meredith about it at a time like this. Especial y when it was real y Elena's own fault. She was the one who had enticed Stefan the night before. Oh, they had been deep, al right - deep in each other's minds.
"Anyway, it's Bonnie's fault if it's anyone's,"Stefan said regretful y. "But now I'm worried about her. Damon's not going to be inclined to watch out for her if he didn't want her to come."
Meredith bowed her head. "It's my fault if she gets hurt."
Elena chewed her lower lip. There was something wrong.
Something about Meredith, that Meredith wasn't tel ing her.
Her hands were real y damaged, and Elena couldn't figure out how they could have gotten that way.
Almost as if she knew what Elena was thinking, Meredith slipped her hand out of Elena's and looked at it. Looked at both her palms, side by side. They were equal y scratched and torn.
Meredith bent her dark head farther, almost doubling over where she sat. Then she straightened, throwing back her head like someone who had made a decision. She said,
"There's something I have to tel you - "
"Wait,"Stefan whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Listen. There's a car coming."
Elena listened. In a moment she heard it too. "They're coming to the boardinghouse,"she said, puzzled.
"It's so early,"Meredith said. "Which means - "
"It has to be the police after Matt,"Stefan finished. "I'd better go in and wake him up. I'l put him in the root cel ar."
Elena quickly corked the star bal with its meager ounces of fluid. "He can take this with him,"she was beginning, when Meredith suddenly ran to the opposite side of the Gate. She picked up a long, slender object that Elena couldn't recognize, even with Power channeled to her eyes. She saw Stefan blink and stare at it.
"This needs to go in the root cel ar too,"Meredith said. "And there are probably earth tracks coming out of the cel ar, and blood in the kitchen. Two places."
"Blood?"Elena began, furious with Damon, but then she shook her head and refocused. In the light of dawn, she could see a police car, cruising like some great white shark toward the house.
"Let's go,"Elena said. "Go, go, go!"
They al dashed back to the boardinghouse, crouching to stay low to the ground as they did it. As they went, Elena hissed, "Stefan, you've got to Influence them if you can.
Meredith, you try to clean up the soil and blood. I'l get Matt; he's less likely to punch me when I tel him he has to hide."
They hastened to their appointed duties. In the middle of it al , Mrs. Flowers appeared, dressed in a flannel nightgown with a fuzzy pink robe over it, and slippers with bunny heads on them. As the first hammering knock on the door sounded, she had her hand on the door handle, and the police officer, who was beginning to shout, "POLICE! OPEN THE - "found himself bawling this directly over the head of a little old lady who could not have looked more frail or harmless. He ended almost in a whisper, " - door?"