chapter five — that bitch

      "Gwyndolyn," His voice escaped his pink lips in a melodious and derisive manner. Her eyes remained closed as she disregarded Damon's voice. Her palms were pressed on the dewy grass of the early morning sunrise. She could sense a subtle displacement of the balance; there was something different in the vibrations of the chilly air. She recognized the change when her morning brew was an ominous shade of raspberry crimson, then the white candle burned away as she was cooking her breakfast, and then her palo santo was singed at the ends. Something was wrong. However, she could barely concentrate with Damon Salvatore laying across on the grass and pestering for some form of attention. "What are you doing?" He resembled a small child asking their mother what their actions were while not-so-subtly pouting.

      She sighed as her hands sunk deeper into the rich soil. "There's something messing with the balance. It's small, barely noticeable, but it's there." She answered, the coolness of the earth chilling her skin. Gwyn searched through the colorful fortress of her mind, combing through the pictures that emerged. That's when an image of Bonnie forged with a hazed blur, clutching the talisman while her ancestor encircled her grasp on her. She opened her eyes suddenly. They were glossy with premonitions and annoyance. "That bitch." She mumbled as she pushed herself from the grass.

      The presence of Emily Bennett, Bonnie's ancestor from the Civil War era and someone Gwyn was somewhat acquainted with, was only going to make their mission even more challenging. Gwyn initially believed things were going to be easier since Damon pinned his murders on Stefan's former friend, Lexi, which relieved them from the Council's concerns. Obviously she couldn't catch a break. Damon mimicked her actions. "What bitch," He asked, following her to her car.

      Gwyn entered and pressed her key into the ignition. "Emily Bennett, that's who. She's haunting Bonnie, I don't think she's gonna keep her end of the bargain." Damon's face hardened. He was entirely aware of what bargain she was referring to. That bargain was engrained inside his mind for almost two-hundred years. But as he moved to enter her passenger door, she stopped him. "No, I'll deal with Emily. You go fix your issues with Stefan and get him off our backs."

      Damon whined childishly. "Why do I have to do that? Why can't you?"

      Gwyn rolled her eyes as she raked her fingers through her sandy hair. "You killed his only friend while he watched. That seems like your problem."

<<>>

      Crowded environments were sometimes overwhelming for Gwyn. The intense pulses of raw emotions and uncensored thoughts consumed her. She shifted uncomfortably as waves of hormonal teenagers flood the doors of Mystic Falls High School. The thoughts that encircled around her current discomfort disappeared as her doe-eyes came across Bonnie. She hurried after her. "I'm gonna need you to stop being a greedy, little bitch and give me that damn necklace." Bonnie crashed into Gwyn's frame, eyes wide with apparent shock.

      Bonnie was entirely aware of the Desdemona bloodline and the evil power they used and Grams gave her specific instructions to remain as distant as she could. "I'm gonna scream." She muttered, clutching her notebooks tightly as she rushed away.

      Gwyn rolled her eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time that morning. "Bonnie, I'll give you something to scream about. I'll break all your bones or curse you to have a bad hair day every day. It won't be pretty."

"Leave me alone, Gwyn. I know about the Desdemonas'."

      The Desdemona witch smiled cunningly. "I'm sure you do. Did your precious Grams tell you to keep your distance?" Bonnie didn't answer, which was an answer enough. "I'll keep it short and simple, then. Damon wants his necklace back, so just hand it over. I'm trying to help you. It's the easy way or Damon's way."

      Bonnie quickened her pace. "I don't want your help." She released a sigh of relief as she neared her car, opening the door hastily.

      Gwyn jutted her chin to the side, the door immediately slammed closed. "You may not want my help, but you sure as hell need it. Give me the necklace and I'll get that stupid bitch Emily off your back."

      Bonnie froze, immediately whirling around to face her. "How do you know about her?"

Gwyn inched closer. "You claim to know about the Desdemona coven, but you actually don't know anything at all about my family. Your grandma knows what we want her to know." She glared into her dark eyes before she relented. "Emily is disturbing the balance. Ghosts aren't supposed to be interfering with this Side and she's using that hideous necklace to creep inside your weak mind. Tell her Damon said a deal's a deal and we'll get that necklace even if it involves coercion."

      Gwyn opened the door with a small jerk of her hand. "Go on. Oh, and tell your grandma to get the fuck out of my family's business or I'll make her."

<<>>

      Gwyn sipped her nameless beer with a world-weary expression. She overheard the whispers of everyone's thoughts while she perched her chin on the palm of her hand; the Mystic Grill was brimming with lonely souls desperate for some form of distraction of the dullness of their lives. As she drank the bitter beverage, her cell phone erupted into a vibrating mess. Upon seeing Damon's name on the small screen, she exhaled a slow breath. She flipped open the phone, pressing it against her ear. "What do you want," She asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

      Damon's voice sounded breathless and thick with urgency. "Emily's possessing Bonnie. She's heading to Fell's Church to destroy the necklace. Hurry." Gwyn's gaze hardened as she clenched her hands as the dial tone filled her ear. Lightbulbs buzzed before shattering into dozens of shards. Some of Mystic Grill's occupants released surprised shrieks. As she gathered her belongings in a hurried fashion, there was one curious gaze that followed after she pushed through the entrance's doors; Alaric Saltzman paused his grading to watch the beautiful woman who was unfazed by the sudden shattering leave with determination on her expression.

      Gwyn arrived at the outskirts of the woods sooner than she had expected. She pushed through the darkened foliage with ease, knowing the path the church like the back of her hand. She wondered if Emily was going to actually go through her with her plans to destroy the necklace. If she was, this was going to make her mission with Damon much more difficult and that wasn't something either of them particularly wanted at the moment.

      As she neared the vicinity, she collapsed onto the ground, the crisp and dried leaves crunched beneath her weight. A wrenching scream escaped her blood-stained lips. Her shaky hand clutched her abdomen, some crimson stained her palm. She knew exactly what the source was; Damon and her magical bond with him. Emily had hurt him somehow and now she was dealing with the consequences. Gwyn struggled to push herself off the rich soil, blood dripping down the sides of her mouth and seeping through her clothes. But as she managed to stand upright, she raised her middle finger. "FUCK YOU, EMILY!"

      She continued onward, seeing the shadowy figures of Bonnie, Stefan, and Damon in the distance, him struggling to stand as much as she was. Inching closer, she could hear remnants of the conversation. Emily was refusing to release the remainder of the vampires that were sealed in the tomb. She was drawing a symbol on the floor with a large branch. "Things are different now." Damon pleaded with her, agony swirling inside his eyes. "I can't free them. I won't." She dropped the branch onto the floor, raising her arms in the air with tightly closed eyes. "Incendia!" She could hear Elena screaming for her friend.

      The pentagram erupts into flames, Emily standing right in the center. Gwyn was beginning to grow close enough to feel the warmth. Emily yanked the necklace off and tossed high into the air and it exploded with bright orange sparks. There were glimpses of the real Emily between the flames. With her wound beginning to slowly heal, Gwyn extended her arm outward and extinguished the flames and restrained Emily. "I warned you," Gwyn muttered. Emily turned to face her, eyes widening upon realizing who she was. Gwyn closed her hand, yanking the air and expelled Emily's spirit forcefully from Bonnie's body. Bonnie blinked owlishly as she glimpsed around her surroundings.

      Gwyn watched with a satisfied smirk as Damon sped towards her, ripping her neck apart in a bloodied mess. She could smell the copper-like stench of blood that filled the air. Bonnie screamed as she collapsed into Damon's harsh grasp. He didn't drink much of her blood. His sole purpose was to cause harm, possibly even death. He tossed her onto the grass like she was nothing. And she wasn't to him. Stefan rushed to the unconscious witch's side, tearing his wrist with his fangs and pressed the exposed wound to Bonnie's lips. Seconds passed before Bonnie was awoken from the warmth traveling down her throat.

      Damon watched the scene unravel with devastation plastered on his sorrowful expression before he turned on his heel and walked deeper into the woods. Gwyn released a shaky breath, wiping her blood on her clothes. She wasn't sure if she should follow him. What would she say? That she was sorry and they'd find a way? She would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly relieved by the misfortune. Her dad was safe now.

      Gwyn disregarded the harsh glares from Stefan and Elena. She didn't care about them. But she somewhat cared about Damon. Their friendship was difficult and it definitely didn't make sense. She was powerful enough to kill him in a blink of an eye and he threatened to murder her dad. Definitely difficult.

      She simply turned around and walked back to her car, listening and cherishing the whispers of life in the woods.