Bonnie, is that you?" Bobby asked me. I nodded, even though I knew that he couldn't hear me over the phone line. "Is everything okay? Your message said that it was urgent."
"It's not life threatening, but I don't get any more information… It wouldn't be good." I told him, before delving into my story. He listened quietly. When I was finished, he began talking, again.
"I have heard something about that, but I need to look up a few things. I'll tell ya what. Give me a couple of days and I'll call you back. In the meantime, if anything comes up, why don't you call Ash? He may have heard of a few things that I haven't. He's at the Roadhouse with Ellen and Jo." Bobby told me, before rattling off his number. I jotted it down.
"Thanks Bobby. I appreciate it." I said, sincerely.
"Don't worry about it. Sheila helped me out of a bind or two and I knew Rufus for years. He's the reason I became a hunter. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call."
I called Ash shortly after I got off the phone with Bobby. I told him my name and he knew who I was. I figured it couldn't hurt to try and hit up different sources. He told me that he was looking into something for two hunters, Sam and Dean Winchester, but after he was finished, he would look into my inquiry.
The four of us were all in Scott's living room. Scott and Isaac were trying to kill each other on Call of Duty. We went to dinner at the diner and Stiles successfully stole most of our curly fries. Isaac made fun of him, so Stiles threw Isaac's scarf at the table sitting across from us. Needless to say, some people don't enjoy having clothing thrown in their soup. We were asked to leave the restaurant.
"Dude, I'm kicking your ass!" Scott cheered.
"Because I'm letting you," Isaac argued.
"Hey, I think your phone is going off. Aren't you expecting a call from Danny?" Scott asked him. Isaac fished around in his pockets and dropped his controller. He found his phone and saw that he had no new notifications. "Psych!" Scott added, after he won the game.
"That's low." Isaac complained. Scott shrugged.
"I play winner!" Stiles announced.
"Actually, there's something we need to talk about." Derek said, as he walked into the room. We all looked over at him.
"Derek, what is it?" Scott asked.
"There's a new player in town and I think that we're all at risk." Derek explained. We all looked at him, like he grew a new head. Well, that didn't last long. Can't I go a week without something big and bad strolling into town? I guess not. Well, fuck it all to hell. "We don't know what it is, but it can't be good." Derek added, hesitantly. I peered at him and noticed that Scott, Stiles and Isaac were all looking at him like he was holding something back.
"What aren't you telling us?" Scott asked him.
"That's the million dollar question – isn't it?" Peter said, walking into the room. Stiles threw up his hands.
"Can't you two wear freaking bells, or something?! You know, some people knock before they enter someone else's house. It's freaking creepy." Stiles exclaimed. I tried not to laugh.
"What kind of bells should we be wearing?" Peter asked him. Stiles' face blanched and I just shook my head.
"Pedowolf," Isaac reminded him. Derek looked amused and Scott grinned.
"We're on a dead-pool." Derek announced. The joking stopped.
"Define all," I said. "I just got to town. How am I on there?" I asked, my voice raising an octave. Derek shrugged. Peter crouched down in front of me.
"The better question is – why isn't your name the only name on there from Mystic Falls." Peter told me. I frowned.
"Who else is on there?" I asked him. He looked me straight in the eyes and opened his mouth.
"The Mikaelson family," he replied. I got to my feet.
"Out of all of Mystic Falls, we're the only names on there?!" I reiterated, honestly confused. Peter and Derek nodded. "Someone is trying to take on the Original vampire family. Are they out of their minds?!" I exclaimed.
"It's not just someone. There's a bounty on all of our heads. We need to find out who put it there and why they are targeting us." Derek reminded me.
"I… I really need to make a phone call. If what you're saying is true and the Mikaelsons don't know about the dead-pool and they find out that I knew and didn't tell them… Let's just say that we'll have a bigger problem on our hands." I excused myself. Stiles moved to follow me, but I shook my head.
I'm freaking the fuck out and I don't know how to handle this. This feels personal. How else is supposed to feel? Who exactly have I pissed off this time?! I thought I left all of that behind me.
I dialed Klaus' number and put the phone to my ear. I didn't have to wait long for him to pick up.
"Hello Sweetheart, long time no see." He answered. I cringed. He is literally the last person I want to talk to.
"Look, Klaus, I'm only calling because it's important and there's something you need to know." I told him, before I lost my nerve. I heard a sharp intake of breath and knew that I got his attention.
"What are you going on about?" He asked me.
"I don't know who or why, but our names were put on a dead-pool. There's a bounty on our heads. I just moved to Beacon Hills and I have no idea who has something against me, them, and you. It's not just your name. All of the Mikaelsons are on the list. I just… You needed to know." I explained.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I thought it would be better that you found out from me, than someone else." I answered, honestly.
"One less thing to use against you," he guessed.
"Yeah," I agreed.
"If someone really is targeting us then we need to find out why. I'm not going to wait around and let my fate be handled by a group of teenagers." He growled.
"You're not exactly our biggest priority." I reminded him.
"That's about to change, love." He warned.
"I called you out of courtesy, Klaus. I owe you nothing. If you want to help, then fine, but I'm not about to let you push me around anymore. You don't own me. We aren't friends. I didn't want someone's death on my conscience, no matter how much I dislike him or her. I'm not risking my life for yours. That stopped the moment that I left Virginia. Do you understand me?" I stood up for myself and it felt good.
"You may be a Bennett witch, but if you think that you're going to get away that easily, then you have another thing coming. Helping me would be to your benefit, Bonnie. Are you forgetting that I'm not the only name on that list? I suggest that you start playing nicely, Sweetheart. I will see you soon and don't even think about trying to hide." He ended the call. I threw my phone against the wall as hard as I could. It didn't break, because of my case, but it felt better than doing nothing. Why did I just do that? Why did I call him? Damn conscience.
"Bonnie?" Isaac called from behind me. I turned to face him, but I didn't meet his eyes. "I asked the others to give us a minute. Scott and Derek are with Stiles. He could feel your anxiety… whatever that means. I know that we don't know each other well… but I know what it's like to be pushed around and to feel helpless. I won't judge you. If you ever need to talk or not talk… I'm here." He told me with such a sincere voice.
I looked at Isaac and saw the amazing heart that stays on his sleeve. I can tell that he's been through the ringer and back and he's still here trying to comfort me and be my friend. I don't know if it was the gesture or his words, but whatever it was, it made me break.
I started hyperventilating and my legs buckled underneath me. Isaac dropped to the floor with me and cradled my head in his arms. I sobbed against him and wished that things could be simpler. I wished that we could all just be happy. I wished that everything wasn't so freaking hard. I wished that I didn't have to deal with bullies anymore. I wish that we didn't all have targets painted on our backs. I wish that everyone could just let us be. I wish… I wish… God, I just…
"Shh, it'll work out, Bonnie. It will. It's going to be alright. We'll get through it – all of us. We always do." Isaac tried to soothe me.
"I can't, Isaac. I can't. I've already given so much, before… I can't. I… I'm not strong enough. I'm exhausted. I'm burnt out. I can't watch anyone else die. I can't do it. I can't." I whispered. The tears didn't slow and the ache deep in my heart just worsened. Why does it always come to this? What did we do to deserve the weight of the world on our shoulders? We need help. God. We need so much help.