chapter three — the link with nature and life was severed

( "She's mad but she's magic. There's no lie in her fire." ) — Charles Bukowski

      Gwyn casually browsed through the antiquated grimoire of the Desdemona coven, attempting to disregard Damon's galling voice that echoed throughout the Salvatore Boarding House. He had been a pestering mess ever since he had returned from his endeavor on feeding on as many people as he could. She didn't necessarily blame him for his theatrics considering he was vervained and held inside his cellar for three consecutive days. That must've definitely taken a toll on his anger. Stefan had essentially spiked Caroline's drink with vervain, which resulted in Damon's capture. He had been repeatedly dialing his younger brother's phone number more times than she could remember. "Where are you, Stefan?" Damon urgently traveled down the staircase, cautiously avoiding every sunbeam pouring through the windows. "I'm trapped at the house with a useless witch, and I'm getting really bored and really impatient, and I don't do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring." 

      She rolled her eyes as he poured a drink for himself and continued to nonchalantly read through the faded passages. Those three days weren't easy for her either. When she was initially approached by Damon, he threatened to murder her father if she didn't agree to help him. Of course, he took the one person who mattered to Gwyn and used him against her. She agreed for the sake of her father, but she knew him. Damon considered everyone except himself as disposable and as soon as he was slightly irritated by her, he was going to murder her and find another witch. She came to the conclusion she needed his guaranteed word. So she bound him and her with an unbreakable spell. She was bound to him and he was bound to her—bound by word and blood. And she realized how much of a mistake that was when he was being slowly desiccated by Stefan. As Damon slowly died, so did she. "Your mistake is bleeding on the couch," Gwyn said, smelling the oozing copper odor.

      Damon glanced away from his scotch glass, an exasperated expression forming. "Don't get blood on the couch, please." Gwyn finally closed her grimoire and carefully examined the teenager that was indeed making a mess on the antique fabric. Damon explained that he needed to recharge his battery as soon as he escaped from his hostage situation and accidentally killed a group of teenagers, but this one seemingly didn't want to die. He seemed more annoyed by her will to survive than having had killed a bunch of teenagers. He sat on the coffee table across from the unconscious girl and removed the bloodied towel from her neck. "I got you good, didn't I? Well, you're not gonna be any fun today." 

      Gwyn peeked over his shoulder, stealing a quick glance at the gaping wound on her neck. It didn't seem pleasant and judging from how pallid and motionless the girl was becoming at that moment, Gwyn knew she wasn't going to live for much longer. Damon stood from the coffee table, muttering about him regretting something as he bit down on his forearm and forced the girl to drink. "How typical of you to ruin this girl's life and everything she's ever known, and you're the one upset about her not being any fun." Gwyn mused aloud.

      Damon perched his chin on top of the girl's head. He looked amused despite his situation. She supposed that was Damon; simultaneously unaffected yet affected. Gwyn wasn't sure how he kept his facade on display all the time. But she knew. She always knew. "You're not any fun and I'm stuck with you so I need something to amuse me." Gwyn rolled her eyes. She was plenty of fun. That side of her wasn't expressed with murderous, sadistic and egotistical vampires who threatened to kill her father. As the thought passed, there was a wave of nostalgia for her life when she wasn't always miserable—like when she was in New Orleans and wasn't indebted to this stupid fuck. 

      Gwyn stood from the couch, encircling her hands around the conscious girl's body. "She stinks," She said, helping her stand. Damon removed his arm from her mouth but remained where he was. "And you annoy me so I'm leaving and helping her shower." As they departed from the living room, the girl was able to walk on her own as the vampire blood coursing through her veins improved every ailment. Gwyn walked with her to Damon's room, then to the shower and turned her back to give her some privacy to undress. The girl did, turning the shower nozzle on and sighed in relief as the piping hot water washed all the harsh memories of that night down the drain. 

     Steam filled the room as Gwyn scribbled protective sigils on the mirror. "I'm Vicki, by the way." Gwyn didn't respond, she didn't care enough to know this teenager's name. She was only here to make sure she didn't pass out in the shower. "Why are you helping him?" Gwyn stopped her scribbles, pondering on the thought. It's not like she wanted to be here, especially with Damon, but she couldn't allow her father to be in harm's way. And now, she physically couldn't abandon him because of her spell. She couldn't leave his side until both sides of the deal were accomplished. 

      "Let's just say a deal was made." Was all Gwyn said, suddenly ashamed of her predicament. 

      Vicki chuckled, unaware of the severity of her deal. "Yeah, I know all about those." 

      Gwyn wiped away all her protective sigils in one fluid movement and they disappeared in a blurred smear. "I'm sure you do," She muttered, "This one's different, though. It's not drugs we're dealing with. It's life. And normally I wouldn't give a rat's ass about anyone's life, but this one is different." Gwyn said, mainly to herself.

      "How so?" Vicki asked. There was something about the way she asked, though. It wasn't out of sincerity or genuine wonder, it was merely Vicki attempting to pass the time with small talk, and something about that displeased the Desdemona witch.

      Gwyn furrowed her brows. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize this was a therapy session." She said, a fleeting glimmer of defensiveness moving through her. "Just shut up and shower. You reek of death."

<<>>

      And Gwyn listened to them dance over the same few songs, drink until the bottles were empty and shattered on the floors, and kiss until their mouths ached. She understood Damon was passing the time until Stefan returned from whatever excursion he was conducting. Gwyn wouldn't have an issue making him another one, but she didn't have any of the required gemstones; Lapis Lazuli. She had to explain Damon repeatedly that it wasn't a spell that could use a substitute gem. He didn't take the news well. So here she was, listening to Vicki and Damon sway to slow tempo music while she flipped through her grimoire. "My mom spends most of her time in Virginia Peach with Pete. He drives trucks." Vicki sobbed as Damon soothingly rubbed her back, ignoring the tears and snot staining his clothes. "I don't remember my dad, but from what I gather, he's not worth remembering."

      Gwyn turned the page over, hand below her chin as she laid on Stefan's bed. "Your life is so pathetic," She muttered, her eyes never leaving the page. She couldn't remember how many times she read these pages and passages, but looking through her father's book brought her a form of comfort.

      Vicki released another sob. "Yeah. I mean, I'm the screwed-up one. Matt's got it so easy. He's the golden boy. He's gonna get a football scholarship and marry Elena and have a lawnmower and some babies, and when I think of my future, I just come up blank." Gwyn pitied the young teenager. She was at the beginning of her high school career and she was already immersed in drugs and didn't have anything to look forward to after. It couldn't get miserable than that.

      They pulled away from each other. Damon looked down at the girl. "You are so damaged." Vicki only nodded and uttered a small agreement. "You don't have one hint of self-esteem. I think I know what can help you." He pressed his forehead against hers, his hands cupped around her face and promptly snapped her neck in one fluid motion. "Death."

      Gwyn gasped, an almost imperceptible sound over the low music, but she watched with wide eyes as Vicki collapsed limply onto the carpeted floor. Damon, unmoved by his actions, readjusted his collar and stepped over Vicki's corpse. "This is a whole new level of moronic, even for you." She wasn't unacquainted with people dying or corpses, but this wasn't smart or beneficial to them or their plan. This was going to make their lives a whole lot more difficult than it already was. "Do you do anything else other than fuck everything up? Seriously, turning her into a vampire?" She closed her grimoire and hurried over to Vicki, but she could already feel the life draining from her. Vicki's connection to the earth and nature was gone.

      Damon shrugged nonchalantly. "It'll spice things up." 

      She narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe him. Gwyn didn't care about Vicki, not in the slightest, but she did care about her own life. If Vicki was going to leave and wreak havoc, it was going to bring unwanted attention to them and that was the last thing they needed. This task was challenging as it was, they didn't need the Council hunting their asses. "Are you stupid," She asked. Of course, he was, she didn't even have to ask. "She's not the kind person you turn into a vampire, Damon! She's going to do something stupid and the Council is going to come for us."

      She watched intently as he placed his hand on the ray of sunlight that seeped from the window. He winced as it singed his fingertips. "Gwyndolyn," He said, "Loosen up. You're being a buzz kill."

      Vicki groaned as her eyes fluttered open, massaging her tense neck as she looked up at the duo with a confused expression. "What happened? We were dancing and then—"

      Gwyn folded her arms across her chest. "Then he killed you," She interrupted, allowing her anger to seep through each word. "You're fucking dead and now you just made my life so much harder. All because he decided to feed you his blood and snap your neck. You're going to have to drink human blood now to finish the transition."

      Vicki pushed herself off the floor, wincing when she moved too quickly. "You're wasted." Was all she said as she steadied herself on the book stand. Gwyn could see her recoiling from the brightness of the sun, shielding her eyes as she grabbed her discarded clothes.

      Gwyn pinched the bridge of her nose. "I wish I was," She whispered, "And I can't let you outside." 

      Damon encircled his large hand around the Desdemona witch's forearm, preventing her from following Vicki outside. As she turned to cuss him out, that's when she saw the authentic humor glittering in his sparkling blue eyes. He was enjoying this; he liked knowing this made things harder for her, he liked her frustration. Damon liked the chaos he caused. "Suck my dick, Damon Salvatore."

      Upon her realization, she raised her other hand, displaying it for him to see and she twisted it, snapping Damon's neck quicker than he did to Vicki.

      She knew she was going to regret it. The annoying thing about her spell placed on both of them was whatever happened to Damon, happened to her. So Gwyn collapsed on the floor as soon as he did.

      Screw Damon Salvatore.

<<>>

      "So what lesson did we learn from this?" 

      "That you're a bitch.

      "No, cocksucker. That we don't touch women when they don't want to be touched."

      "So you snap my neck?"

      "Seems pretty justified to me."

      Gwyn kneaded her neck as they casually strolled through the neighborhoods of Mystic Falls, searching for the transformed vampire roaming the town. As they both awakened from their temporary death, nightfall had arrived and they barely reached the cemetery where Stefan was attacked by a council member, using a wooden bullet to hinder him. Vicki used their moment of distraction to feed on the unconscious member and complete the transformation and disappear completely from the scene. Only this time Stefan was accompanying them. "Do you guys ever stop arguing?" Stefan asked, clearly annoyed with their bickering. 

      She rolled her eyes, chancing a glance at his brooding expression. "Don't get mad at us because of your rebound girlfriend dumping you." Stefan didn't answer, his attention focused on something else entirely. She followed his gaze, noticing Vicki appear from an opened driver's door, hissing as she pounced on a young guy. He was pleading for her to listen to him. Damon and Stefan used their advanced speed to appear by Vicki's side immediately, leaving Gwyn all the way across the parking lot. She groaned, speeding her pace. 

      Stefan wrapped his arms across Vicki's thrashing figure, her face colored with blackish veins and streamed tears. "What's going on here, Stefan? What's wrong with her?" Vicki was completely taken over by the overbearing hunger, her fangs protruded from her mouth. She didn't look recognizable. This guy, who had a freakishly large forehead, seemed to be acquainted with Stefan. Had this been one of his high school friends? 

      Damon roughly pushed him back. "You don't talk."

      "Screw you, dude." 

      Gwyn and Damon shared a look. Oh god. "'Dude'? Really? 'Dude'?" 

      Gwyn stepped forward from beside Damon, magic oozing from the delicate palms of her hands. "Gwyn, don't." There was something about the way Stefan pleaded. He was fearful of her and what she could do. That was an accomplishment to her. She enjoyed the fright she brought. He was heaving from how much Vicki was struggling to escape from his grasp.

      "Oh, come on. Who's going to miss this idiot?" The boy, who seemed more concerned with Damon's annoyingness, punched him. Gwyn laughed, not because Damon was punched, but because this guy was a fucking moron. Damon immediately wrapped his hand around his throat, choking him intensely, looking him directly in the eye. "Forget what you saw here tonight. None of us were here." 

      He looked over where Gwyn stood, motioning over to the teenage boy. She smiled. She raised one hand elegantly and with that, the boy flew violently several feet away, groaning in pain.

      And they were gone—disappearing in a hazed blur with their vampire speed.

      Well, Damon picked her up and then they were gone.