ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH | TVD [3]

XXV • BLACK HOLE SUN

twenty-five. black hole sun

1994 Prison World, Salvatore Boarding House

It's day time in the other world, in which the foursome remain safely indoors. Kai remains taped to the armchair in front of the unlit fireplace in the parlor room while he is talking to his own enjoyment as Minerva and Damon are listening, almost tired from doing so. The duo are sitting next to each other on the dark double seated couch across from him, watching.

The mysterious young man laughs slightly, "And of course, I broke into the Oval Office and took a picture of myself at the window, looking all JFK. But then, I was like, 'Wait, how am I going to get these photos developed?'--"

"Oh my God, just answer the damn question." Damon interrupted on the peak of annoyance, "How are we going to get out of this Twilight Zone?"

Minerva hums that Kai glances between the two before he asked, "I got a question for you first. Why do you think we're stuck on a repeating loop of May 10th, 1994?" Damon raises his eyebrows as if to say he doesn't know, as Kai resumes, "Doomed to relive a solar eclipse forever and ever, and ever."

"Well that's the million dollar question: why?" The banshee asked him back in an obvious tone, "Because you did something on May 10th, 1994--"

"How the hell should we know?" Damon takes a sip of his strong bourbon.

"Well, I heard you tell them this place was your own personal hell. I'm kind of curious why." Kai spoke smugly as he maintains his gaze on the vampire.

"I found everything you asked for." Bonnie walks in, "Can-opener, shower drain, grinding wheel, jam, pocket knife, volume O of the encyclopedia, a nail and a black marker." She walks over to the coffee table in front of the couch where Damon and Minerva are sitting to dump the bag full of materials onto it in which her own close friend rises to her feet in curiosity.

"Now what?" Minerva asked as she examines the materials on the table.

"Can't show you with my hands taped." Obviously, Kai said.

"You had one job." The Devon girl turns to her close friend.

"What?" Bonnie said that the caramel brunette gestures her to do it; the witch then reaches over, grabs the sharp pocket knife and walks over to Kai.

"Bonnie..." Damon mentioned her warningly.

"Thank you." Kai said when she cuts off the tape binding his wrists.

"Okay. Fine. How is this pile of crap going to get us out of here?" Damon questioned.

"Not so fast." Kai rubs both of his sore wrists, "I'll explain as soon as you tell me what you did on May 10, 1994." He grins up at him sarcastically.

"What difference does it make?" The vampire voiced in frustration.

"Let me put it this way — Bonnie's magic is one part of the equation, along with Minerva who can warn us if one of us is going to die. My as-yet undisclosed knowledge is the other. Which means you would be hitching a ride home for free. I just want to know if you deserve to come along." Kai implied that Damon stomps over to him, snatches the pocket knife from Bonnie and lifts Kai up by his shirt collar to put the knife against his neck.