In Another Life • The Vampire Diaries

Chapter One

If you skipped to this chapter, you have to read the first AUTHORS NOTE to understand the story....I'm sorry.

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* Plus black boots and a black jacket. All the other items including the jewellery are not included in the story - this is the case for all the outfits.

Bonnie stood in the school gymnasium at the music table. The Career night layout wasn't that different from last year. The gym was set the same with tables for different career choices, teachers and students roamed around the same. But somehow in her junior year, it felt different. She had about two more years of high school left, yet she felt like time was running out. She had no idea what she wanted for her future. Grams said that if the end came and she still couldn't decide, being a witch could be her future. Despite only being a believer in the supernatural world for a short period, she could wholeheartedly say that being consumed by witches and vampires was not the future she wanted. Especially after her own ancestor possessed her without her permission, and Damon almost killed her.

She ran her hand over the side of her neck, and then began flipping through the CDs lined on the table. The pain she felt from his fangs had been consuming. On some level, she understood why both Emily and Damon did what they did. Emily didn't want to see any of the people in Mystic Falls hurt, and if the vampires sealed in the tomb were ever released, that would be a for sure possibility. Damon was angry Emily reneged on a deal they made, god knows how many years ago. That still didn't make their actions okay. They put her in the middle of a fight she had practically nothing to do with, and she almost lost her life in the process.

Bonnie sighed and chose a CD - Rebecca Richards was written on the case. She opened the case and put the disc into one of the small circular portable CD players. She placed the headphones on over her ears and pressed play. Rebecca Richards rendition of Beethoven' Fur Elise on the violin played through the speakers. Overall Rebecca' playing was smooth, but a few notes here and there were choppy. But she couldn't judge, at least Rebecca played. Bonnie turned to look around at the other tables and jumped when she saw a pretty girl standing at her side. Bonnie had never seen her around before. She took off the headphones.

"Sorry." The girl said with a sheepish smile.

"It's okay." Bonnie said and pressed pause on the CD player.

The girl chuckled to herself. "You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?"

Bonnie shook her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry I'm dumb."

Bonnie shook her head again. "It's okay."

"No, really. I saw the headphones and still tried to talk to you."

Bonnie chuckled a little, testing the waters. The girl smiled, so Bonnie assumed she was okay with a little teasing. "Okay, maybe a little dumb." They both laughed.

"I was going to ask what you were listening to."

Bonnie glanced toward the portable CD player. "It's a rendition of a classical song, uh Fur Elise by-"

"Beethoven." The girl finished, and Bonnie nodded. Of course she knew the song, Beethoven's Fur Elise, was one of the most prominent pieces in the classical genre. "Are you playing?"

Bonnie shook her head and picked up the CD case from the table. She showed the girl Rebecca Richards' name written on the plastic.

"But you play right? That's why you're at this table."

"Yeah, the Cello." Bonnie said.

"Are you any good?" 

"I haven't played in a long time, so I'm not sure anymore."

"Why not?"

Bonnie fiddled with the headphones. "You ask a lot of questions."

The girl faltered and smiled apologetically. "I know, it's just I'm new in town and I don't know a lot of people here, and I saw you alone at this table and I thought why not try and be social. It's not something I get the chance to do much, being social I mean. I'm home schooled but I use Mystic Falls High for the big picture stuff." She took a breath. "If you want me to leave-"

"No." Bonnie interrupted. "It's fine."

The girls smile returned. "I'm Anna by the way."

"I'm Bonnie."

...

Bonnie's eyes squinted when Anna laughed. They'd stayed at the music table even as other students came and went. So many more people had piled into the gym that it was getting hard to keep track of Elena and Caroline' whereabouts. The last she saw Elena, she was with Jenna and the last she saw Caroline, she was with her mum.

"Why's that funny?" Bonnie asked, pausing with flipping through the different CDs.

"I'm just surprised." Anna said. "You were just listening to Beethoven, and now you tell me that Alice Coltrane is in your top ten list of musicians."

"I have a nuanced music palette." Bonnie shrugged.

"I can see that." Anna nodded. Their conversation, which had been ongoing since Anna walked up to her, came to pause. "So, why the cello."

Bonnie shrugged again. "I don't know, there's not some big reason, like my parents were players and it rubbed off on or something. Actually, neither of my parents are that big into music, at least that I know of." She glanced at Anna, she looked at her as if her answer wasn't good enough.

"Growing up, I was always afraid. I couldn't sleep alone or if it was too quiet." She continued. When it was too quiet, her thoughts had a dangerous habit of running wild. "And the cellos' a solo instrument. It helped me fill the silence and get comfortable with being on my own." Bonnie's face screwed up with distaste.  "Too cheesy?" she asked.

Anna shook her head. "Not at all." She said. "But why not the guitar or the piano?"

Bonnie smiled. "I play piano too, just not as well," she said. Grams had taught her the instrument when she was younger. Late nights at Whitmore College had found them wandering to the music department and playing on their state of the art grand piano. "But I honestly don't know why the cello. One day in music class, I just saw it, and I knew I needed to play it." The first time she played, she felt magic, not the magic that struck her nerves when she did a spell. Magic that felt like this was what she was supposed to do. That feeling changed over time, it got infected with the emptiness she felt when her dad began to spend more time away from home. "Sometimes I think it chose me...if that makes sense."

Yeah." Anna said, and Bonnie turned to look at her. The smile on Anna's face seemed impossible not to mirror. Bonnie wasn't surprised when her lips subconsciously curved into a smile of their own. "It does."

Bonnie never felt comfortable talking about herself, especially to someone she didn't even know, so she steered their conversation to a different subject. She asked her questions about herself. Anna's parents travelled a lot for work, so she never stayed in one place for long. Growing up, she'd lived in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, South Carolina. It was amazing, Bonnie had never even left the state of Virginia. Anna's mum was in the military, she didn't get to see her much.