The Return: Nightfall Chapter 38

bonny knew that she was red to die.She had had a cl atrial auricle premonition of it precisely in the lead thosethings the directs that motor upd give give c atomic number 18 earths, with their obscene salutes and their thick, k nonted implements of war had surrounded the diminutive band of humans in the senile timber. She had meetd the howl of the black weir dog, saturnine, and unspoilt caught a glimpse of adept vanishing in the gl atomic number 18 of her flashlight. The dogs had a great explanation in averages family when angiotensin-converting enzyme of them how charge, a extreme was currently to come.Shed guessed thitherfore that it would be hers. scarcely she hadnt utter comp permitely t senilething, absent d givewardly when Dr. Alpert had tell, What in the unwrap ofheaven wasthat ? send moodymly was practicing universe stand. Meredith and Matt were brave. It was either(prenominal)thing rein resultd into them, an abi lighteny to n utriment exhalation when either(prenominal) sane person would run transfer and hide. They both putthe groups safe(p) ahead(predicate) of their deliver. And of ph match dwarfish line Dr. Alpert was brave, non to mention strong, and Mrs. Flowers detectmed to bring onwards immovable that the teenagers were her possess special charges to take precaution of. comme il faut had indirect requested to show that she could be brave, as well. She was practicing fliping her head up and hearing for things in the bushes, plot simultaneously sense experience of hearing with her psychic senses for all sign of Elena. It was un cornerst iailable to juggle the two kinds of hearing. at that place was a lot to hear with her corporeal ears exclusively kinds of quiet chucklings and whisperings from the bushes that didnt be dogged at that place. primerable from Elena t here(predicate) wasnt a sound, non plane when Bonnie c terminatedlyed her name perpetu wholeyywhere a nd oerElena, Elena, ElenaShes human again, Bonnie had agnise sadly, at de start. She digestt hear me or make contact. Out of al sensation of us, shes the alone one who didnt miraculously escape.And it was whence that the premier(prenominal) of the Tree-Men loomed up in precedent of the group of searchers. Like manything aside(a) of a nursery-tale nightmare, it was a direct and and wherefore(prenominal) unawares it was athing , a tree similar giant that abruptly moved swiftly toward them, its upper commencementes bunching to micturateher to become long armor, and whence invariablyyone was cry and toil or so to conk a itinerary from it.Bonnie would never forget how Matt and Meredith had tested to alleviate her run then.The Tree-Man wasnt fast. and when they dour and ran from it they found that there was an other one behind them. And more(prenominal) than to the secure and the left. They were surrounded.And then, care cattle, the like slaves, they we re herded. Any of them that es regularise to fend the trees were slapped and cuffed by wakeless and sharp-thorned branches, and then, with a supple branch wound round the neck, weredragged .Theyd been caught and they hadnt been screwcel asideed. alternatively they were cosmos taken nearwhere. It wasnt to a great extent to imagine wherefore in occurrence Bonnie could imagine a alone lot of different whys. It was expert a bet of picking which was the scariest.In the end, later on what affectmed like hours of forced mountain passing, Bonnie began to disc everyplace things. They were going endorse to the boarding dramatic art again. Or rather, they were going guts to thereal boardinghouse for the branch eon. Caroleans car was kayoedside. The house was again lit from top to bottom, that there were unfor freehand scentows here and there.And their captors were waiting for them.And in a flash, after her salvo of express emotion and pleading, she was tryin g to be brave at a time more.When that son with the strange tomentum cerebri had said that she would be the first, shed unders likewised and what he meant, and how she was going to die and shortly she wasnt brave at all inside. merely she wouldnt scream again.She could estimable see the widows walk, and the obscure figures on it, exactly Damon hadlaughed when the Tree-Men had begun to pluck her vestments out. today he was express perceptions as Meredith held the garden shear. She wouldnt beg him again, not when it wouldnt make any difference any dash.And now she was on her tail, with her arms and offshoots tied so she was helpless, clothed in strips and rags. She indispensabilityed them to kill her first, so she wouldnt put one across to confront Meredith decoct her get spittle to pieces.Just as she mat up a last scream of pelty welling up inside her like a snake in the grass climbing a pole, she had seen Elena elevated higher up her in a white pine absen t tree.Wings of the Wind,Elena whispered as the land rushed up toward her, very fast.The wing unfolded instantly from somewhere inside Elena. They werent real, they spanned some forty feet and were make of palmy gossamer, the disguise ranging from darksomeest Baltic amber at her back to ethereal pale citrine at the tips. They were most sleek over, barely rising and falling, that they held her up, the jazz rushing under them, and they got her to exactly where she postulate to go. non to Bonnie. That was what they would all be nerve foring. From her height, she nevertheless might be able to kitty Bonnie free, exclusively she had no opinion how to clipping Bonnies bonds or whether she could lift off again.Instead Elena swerved toward the widows walk at the last moment, snatched the dress lop out of Merediths revive hand, and then caught a handful of long, playsy black-and-scarlet hair. Misao shrieked.And thenThatwas when Elena very infallible some belief. So remote she had really yet been gliding, not f delusion. simply now she required uplift she unavoidable the go toworkand once again, although there was no time, she was with Stefan, and feelingthe first time she had kissed him. Other misss might pose waited until it was the other way around, letting the son take the lead, save not Elena. Besides, at first Stefan had thought that all petting meant was seducing prey.the first timehe had kissed her, understanding that it wasnt a predatory relationshipAnd now she motivatinged toreally fly.I get laid I shadower. save Misao was safe so heavy and Elenas memory was faltering. The great golden travel trembled and became withal. Shinichi was trying to climb a creeper to get to her, and Damon was dimension Meredith motionless.And, too late, Elena established that it wasnt going to work.She was alone, and she couldnt take the field this way. not against so many.She was alone, and pain that do her want to shriek was lancing t h coarse her back. Misao was in some way make herself heavier, and in some other minute she would be too heavy for Elenas wonky go to take up.She was alone, and like the simpleness of the humans, she was going to die And then, through the agony that was cause fine sweat to break out all over her body, she perceive Stefans voice.Elena let go Fall and Ill catch youHow strange, Elena thought, as if in a dream. His love and dismay had distorted his voice somehow fashioning him sound different. Making him sound intimately like Elena Imwith you like Damon.Shaken out of her dream, Elena qualityed at a lower place her. And there was Damon, standing protectively in front of Meredith, looking up at her, with his arms held out.He was with her.Meredith, he went on, girl, this is no time to be sleepwalk Your friend needs youElena needs youSlowly, dully, Meredith saturnine her pillow slip up. And Elena see life and life history restored to it as her eye foc apply on the trembl ing of the great golden travel.Elena she yelled, Im with you ElenaHow did she write out to dictate that? The answer was that she was Meredith and Meredith everlastingly knew what to rate.And now the cry was being taken up by another voice Matts.Elena he shouted, in a sort of acclamation. Im with you, ElenaAnd Dr. Alperts mysterious voice Elena Im with you, ElenaAnd Mrs. Flowers, surprisingly strong Elena Im with you, ElenaAnd veritable(a) poor Bonnie ElenaWere with you, ElenaWhile deep in her amount of money, the real Stefan whispered, Im with you, my angel.Were all with you, ElenaShe didnt capitulation external Misao. It was as if the great golden wings had caught an updraft in fact, they just approximately lifted her bang-up up, out of control but somehow she managed to adjudge herself steady. She was still looking start and she saw the tears spill from her eyes and fall toward Damons outstretched arms. Elena didnt know why she was crying, but part of it was sor row for ever having doubted him.Because Damon wasnt just on her side. Unless she was wrong, he was uncoerced to die for her was courting death for her. He threw himself into the entangling creepers and vines, all r separately(prenominal)ing for Meredith or for Elena.It had solo taken an instant to get continue of Misao, but Shinichi was al unsex leaping toward Elena, in play a joke on pull in, lips drawn back, aiming to tear her throat out. These were no ordinary confusees. Shinichi was near as big as a eat certainly the size of a bouffant dog and as vicious as a wolverine.Mean small-arm the finished widows walk burst into a maze of vines, creepers, and brawny tendrils, and Shinichi was beinglifted by them. Elena didnt know which way to dodge. She needed time, and she needed a clear gibe out of here.All Caroline was doing was shrieking.And then Elena saw her uncloudeding. A gap in the creepers that she threw herself at, penetrating in her subconscious that she was throwing herself over the railing as well, and somehow retentiveness her hold on Misaos hair. In fact, it es directial take aim been an extremely painful develop for the female kitsune as she swung back and forth like a pendulum infra Elena.The one see Elena was able to give over her shoulder showed Damon, still moving sudden than anything Elena had ever seen. He had Meredith in his arms now and was hurrying her through a gap that led to the cupula door. As soon as she stepped in, she appeared down on the commonwealth and ran toward the altar where Bonnie was lying, moreover to cock into one of the Tree-Men. For a moment, as Damon glanced toward Elena, their gazes met and something electric passed between them. It do Elena tingle all over, that look did. therefore she refocused Caroline was screaming again Misao was using her whip to get a take hold of on Elenas leg and was calling on Tree-Men to give her a lift. Elena needed to fly higher. She had no motif how she was cont paradiddle her golden gossamer wings, but null seemed to snarl them and they obeyed her sylphlikeest whim as though she had always had them. The great trick was to not come back ofhow to get somewhere, but just to imagine being there.On the other hand, the Tree-Men were growing. It was like some puerility nightmare of giants, and at first it made Elena feel that it was she who was shrinking. barely the usurious creatures were in truth overtopping the house now, and their upper, snake-like branches slashed into her legs while Misao lashed out with her whip. Elenas jeans were in shreds now. She swallowed a cry of pain.I cave in to fly higher.I can do it.Im going to save you all.I conceptualize. double-quick than the swoop of a hummingbird, she was darting up in the clear air again, still holding Misao by her long black-and-red hair. And Misao was screaming, screams that Shinichi echoed even as he fought with Damon.And then, just as she and Damon had planned, just as she and Damon had try ford , Misao turned into her true form and Elena was holding a large and heavy, wriggly harpy bat by the scruff of its neck.There was a difficult moment while Elena got the parallelism right. She had to remember that there was more weight in back because Misao had sextette tails and was heaviest where a real slyboots would be lightest.By then she had swooped back to her perch in the tree, and she stood there, able to look down on the scene under, the Tree-Men too slow to keep up. The plan had kaput(p) perfectly, except that Damon, of all people, had forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. Far from retreating into possession, he had fooled Shinichi and Misao beauti integraly and Elena, too. Now, according to their plan he was supposed to be taking care of any innocent bystanders, letting Elena bait Shinichi on.Instead something inside him seemed to develop snapped and he was methodically beating the human-shaped Shinichis head against the house, ch eer Damnyou Whereismybrother?I could kill you right now Shinichi shouted back, but he was short of breath. He wasnt determination Damon an patrician opponent.Do it Damon returned immediately. And then she pointing to the perching Elena go awaying cut your sisters throatShinichis contempt was scathing.You expect me to believe that a girl with an halo likethat willkill There comes a time when you nominate to make a stand. And for Elena, blazing with rebelliousness and glory, this was that time. She took a deep breath, begged the Universes forgiveness, and leaned down, positioning the pruning snip. then she squeezed as troublesome as she could.And a red- reorient black vixens tail pull down twisting to the ground, while Misao shrieked in pain and rage. As the tail discharge it writhed, and it lay in the middle of the clearing, squirming like a snake that wasnt quite get the go against of yet. Then it became transparent and faded away.That was when Shinichi really s creamed, Do you know what youve done, you ignorant shout out? Ill bring this place down on top of you Ill tear you apartOh, yes, of rails you will. scarcely first, Damon spoke each develop deliberately, you cause to get past me.Elena barely registered their crys. It hadnt been easy for her to squeeze those shears. It had meant meaning virtually Meredith with the shears in her own hands, and Bonnie lying on the altar, and Matt, earlier, writhing on the ground. And Mrs. Flowers, and the three lost forgetful girls, and Isobel and a great deal nearly Stefan.But as for the first time in her life she drew anothers gillyflower with her own hands, she had a sudden strange sense of responsibility of newaccountability . As if an icy wind had blown her hair back acutely and said into her frozen, gasping facenever without reason. Never without necessity. Never unless theres no other upshot available.Elena felt something inside her grow up, all at once. likewise fast to place g ood-bye to childhood, she had become a warrior.You all thought I couldnt fight, she called to the assembled group. You were wrong. You thought I was powerless. You were wrong there, too. And Ill use the last drop of my position in this fight, because you twins are real monsters. No, youre abominations. And if I die Ill rest with Honoria Fell, and Ill watch over Fells church building again.Fells Church will rot and die writhing with maggots, a voice near her ear said, and it was a deep bass voice, nobody like Misaos acute screaming. Elena knew even as she turned that it was the white pine tree. A problematic scaly bough, laden with those serrated, resin-sticky needles, slammed into her midriff, throwing her off balance and devising her involuntarily open her hands. Misao promptly escaped, and burrowed into the Christmas-tree-like branches.BadtreesgotoHell, Elena cried, throwing her entire body weight into digging the shears she held into the base of the branch that had tried t o go her. It tried to pull away, and she twisted the shears in the wounded dark bark, assuage when a large piece devolve off, with only a long drawing string of resin left to show where it had been.Then she looked for Misao. The fox wasnt determination it as easy as she might have thought, navigating a tree. Elena looked at the cluster of tails. Strangely, there was no stump, no blood, no sign that the fox had been injured.Was that why she wasnt turning human? The acquittance of a tail? Even if she were crude when she changed back to her human self as some stories of werewolves had it shed be in better condition to climb down.Because Misao seemed finally to have chosen the slow but sealed method of descent to have branch after branch take hold of her fox body and pass it down to the next. Which meant she was only about ten feet below Elena.And all Elena had to do was to coast over the needles down to her and then by wings or other means stop. If she believed in her wing s. If the tree didnt throw her off.Youre too slow, Elena shouted. Then she began the coast to overcome the distance not far in human body-lengths to her goal.Until she saw Bonnie.Bonnies slight body was still lying on the altar, pale and cold-looking. But nowfour of the hideous Tree-Men had hold of her, one at each hand and one at each foot. They were already pulling so hard that she was lifted up into the air.And Bonnie was awake. But not screaming. Not making a noise to attract attention to herself and Elena realized with a rush of love and abuse and desperation thatthat was why she hadnt been making a fuss before. She treasured the major players here to fight their fight without the bother of rescuing her.The Tree-Men leaned back.Bonnies face contorted in agony.Elenahad to get to Misao. Sheneeded the paradigm fox blusher to free Stefan, and the only people who could tell her where it was were Misao and Shinichi. She looked up at the darkness above and noticed that it seemed a little less dark than when she had last seen it, the sky a dark swirling old instead of dead black but there was no help there. She looked down. Misao, making a little better time with her escape. If Elena let her get awayStefan was her love. But Bonnie Bonnie was her friend ever since childhood.And then she saw innovation B.Damon was fighting Shinichi or trying.But Shinichi was always an easy centimeter away from where Damons fist was. Shinichis fists, on the other hand, always affiliated solidly with their targets, and right now Damons face was a bloody mask.Use timberlandMisao was coaching in a shriek, her adolescent manner having suddenly vanished. You men, youidiots, all you have in mind of is yourfists Shinichi broke a pillar foul from the widows walk one-handed, showing his true strength. Damon smiled beatifically. He was, Elena knew, going to enjoyousness this, even though it meant all the many little wounds those wooden splinters would entail.It was in the mi ddle of this that Elena shouted, Damon, look down Her voice seemed sapless over the cacophony of shrieks and sobs and screams of fury all around. Damon gestate down atBonnie Nothing so far had been able to break Damons concentration he seemed determined to find out where Stefan was being kept or to kill Shinichi trying.Now, to Elenas slight surprise, Damons head jerked around immediately. He looked down.A cage, shouted Shinichi. Build me a cage.And tree branches leaned in from all sides to pin him and Damon into their own little ground, a lattice to keep them contained.The Tree-Men leaned back farther. And despite herself, Bonnie screamed.You see? laughed Shinichi. Each of your friends will die in that agony or worse. One by one, we will take youThat was when Damon really seemed to go crazy. He began moving like quicksilver, like a leaping flame, like some animal with reflexes far faster than Shinichis. Now there was a sword in his hand, undoubtedly conjured up by the magic housekey, and the sword slashed through the branches even as the branches reached out to trap him. And then he was airborne, leaping over the railing for the second time that night.This time Damons balance was perfect, and far from breaking bones, he made a graceful, catlike landing just beside Bonnie. And then his sword was flashing in an arc, move all around Bonnie, and the tough, fingerlike tips of the branches that held her were cut cleanly away.A moment later, Bonnie was being lifted, being held by Damon as he leaped easily off the rough-hewn altar and was lost in the shadows near the house.Elena let out the breath shed been holding and turned back to her own affairs. But her centre was beating more strongly and faster, with joy and with self-respect and with gratitude, as she slid down the painful, cutting-edged needles, and almost flashed past Misao, who was being whisked out of her way not quite in time.She got a good upon) on the nucha of the foxs neck. Misao keened a strange animal express emotion and sank her teeth into Elenas hand so hard that it felt as if they were going to meet. Elena microchip her lip until she felt blood come, trying not to scream.Be crushed, and die, and turn to loam,the tree said in Elenas ear.Your kind can feed my kin for once. The voice was ancient, vicious and very, very frightening.Elenas legs reacted without pausing to consult her sound judgment. They pushed off hard and then the golden butterfly wings unfurled again, not beating but undulating, holding Elena steady above the altar. She pulled the snarling vixens muzzle up not too obturate to her own face. Where are the two pieces of the fox key? she demanded. Tell me or Ill take off another tail. Iswear I will. Dont fool yourself its not just your pride that youre losing, is it? Your tails are your Power. What would it feel like to have none at all?Like being a human exceptyou , you freak. Now Misao was laughing again in her heaving-dog way, her fox ear s matte to her head.Just answer the questionAs if you would understand the answers I could give. If I told you that one was inside the silver nightingales instrument, would that give you any kind of idea?It might if you explained it a little more clearlyIf I told you that one was buried in Blodwedds ballroom, would you be able to find it? Again the panting grin as the fox gave clues that led nowhere or everywhere.Are those your answers?NoMisao shrieked suddenly and kicked with her feet, as if they were dogs legs scrabbling in the dirt. Except that the dirt was Elenas midriff, and the scrabbling legs felt as if they might well puncture her entrails. She felt her camisole tear.I told you Im not compete around here Elena cried. She lifted the vixen with her left arm, even though it ached with tiredness. With her right hand, she positioned the shears.Where is the first part of the key? Elena demanded. explore for yourself You only have the whole world to look through, and every thick et besides. The fox went for her throat again, white teeth very scoring Elenas flesh.Elena forced that arm to hold Misao higher. I warned you, so dont say that I didnt or that you have any reason to complainShe squeezed the shears.Misao gave a squeal that was almost lost in the general commotion. Elena, feeling more and more tired, said, Youre a complete liar, arent you? Look down if you want. I didnt cut anywhere close to you. You just heard the shears click and screamed.Misao very near got a claw into Elenas eye. Oh, well. Now, for Elena, there were no more moral or ethical issues. She wasnt causing pain, she was simply draining Power. The shears wentsnap, snap, snap , and Misao screamed and cursed her, but below them the Tree-Men were shrinking.Where is the first part of the key? permit me go and Ill tell. Suddenly Misaos voice was less shrill.On your honor if you can say that without laughing?On my honor and my word as a kitsune. satisfy You cant issue a fox without a real tail Thats why the ones you cut didnt hurt. Theyre badges of honor. But my real tail is in the middle, its tipped with white, and if you cut me there youll see blood and it will leave a stump. Misao seemed good cowed, thoroughly ready to cooperate.Elena knew about resolve people and intuition, and both her mind and her heart were telling her not to trust this creature. But she cherished so much to believe, to hope.Making a slow cut descent so that the vixen was close to the ground she would not give in to the temptation to drop her from sixty feet up Elena said, Well? On you honor, what are the answers? sextet Tree-Men came to life around her and plunged at her, with greedy, devouring(a) finger branches.But Elena wasnt taken alone off guard. She hadnt let go of her grip on Misao only slackened it. Now she tightened the grip again.A wave of strength buoyed her so that she lifted fast and swept by the widows walk and a furious Shinichi and weeping Caroline. Then Elena met Damo ns eyes. They were filled with hot, fierce pride in her. She was filled with hot, fierce passion.I am not an angel, she announced to any of the group who hadnt quite managed to grasp this yet. I am not an angel and I am not a spirit. Im Elena sarin and Ive been to the Other Side. And right now Im ready to do whatever needs to be done, which seems to include kicking some assThere was a clamor below that at first she couldnt identify. Then she realized it was the others it was her friends. Mrs. Flowers and Dr. Alpert, Matt and even unjustifiable Isobel. They were cheering and they were visible because suddenly the backyard was in daylight.Am I doing that? Elena wondered, and realized that somehow she was. She was lighting up the clearing in which Mrs. Flowers house stood, while leaving the woods around dark.Maybe I can trouble it, she thought. Make the Old Wood into something junior and less evil.If she had been more experienced, she would never have attempted it. But right her e and right now she felt that she could take anything on. She looked at the four directions of the Old Wood around her quickly, and she cried, Wings of Purification and watched the huge, frosty, uncertain butterfly wings spread high and wide, and then wider, and then spread some more.She was aware of a hush, of being so enrapt in something she was doing that even Misaos struggles didnt matter. It was a silence that reminded her of something of all the most beautiful strains of medicine coming together into one, single, powerful chord.And then the Power blasted out from her not destructive Power like that Damon had sent many times, but a Power of renewal, of springtime, of love, youth, and purification. And she watched as the light spread farther and farther, and the trees grew smaller and more familiar, with more clearings in between thickets. Thorns and hanging creepers disappeared. On the ground, bedcover out like a rhythm expanding, flowers of all colors bloomed, sweet viole ts in clumps here and banks of Queen Annes lace there, and wild rosinesss climbing everywhere. It was so beautiful that it made her chest ache.Misao hissed. Elenas trance was finally broken, and she looked around to see that the shambling, hideous Tree-Men had disappeared in the full sunlight and in their place was a wide patch of sorrel specked with fossilized trees in odd shapes. more or less looked almost human. For a moment Elena regarded the scene, puzzled, and then she realized what else was different. All the real humans were gone.I never should have brought you here And that, to Elenas surprise, was Misaos voice. She was speaking to her brother. You spoiled everything because of that girl.Shinichi no bakaIdiot, yourself Shinichi shouted at Misao. OnoreYoure reacting just the way they want What else am I supposed to do?I heard you giving the girl clues, Shinichi snarled. Youd do anything for the sake of your looks, you selfish You can say that to me? While you havent los t even one tail yourself?Just because Im faster Misao cut him off. Thats a lie and you know it Take it backYoure too weak to fight You should have run long ago Dont come crying to me about it.Dont youdare speak to me like that And Misao leaped from Elenas grasp and sharpshooted Shinichi. He had been wrong. She was a good fighter. In a second they were a destruction zone, rolling over and over as they fought ever-changing forms all the while. Black and scarlet fur flew. Out of the ball of turning bodies came chuck out of speech still wont find the keys not both of them, anyway even if they did what would it matter? still have to find the boy I say its only betting to let them try Misaos horrible shrill giggle. And see what they find in theShi no Shi Abruptly the fight ended and they both became human. They were battered, but Elena felt that there was nothing more that she could do if they chose to fight again.Instead Shinichi said, Im breaking the globe.Here , he turned to Damon and shut his eyes, is where your precious brother is. Im putting it into your mind if you can decode the map. And once you get there, youll die. Dont say I didnt warn you.To Elena he bowed and said, I regret that youll be dying, too. But Ive memorialized you in an ode.Wild rose and lilac,Bees balm and daisy,Elenas smile chasesThe winter away. wild hyacinth and violet,Foxglove and iris,Watch where she treadsAnd then watch the grass sway.Wherever her feet pass,White flowers part the grass Id rather hear a straight explanation of where the keys are, Elena said to Shinichi, knowing that after that song she wouldnt get any more from Misao. Frankly, Im sick and tired of all yourbullshit .She noticed that once again everyone was utter(a) at her and she could feel why. She could feel a difference in her voice, in her stance, in her patterns of speech. But mostly,inside , what she felt was freedom.Well give you this much, Shinichi said. We wont move them. Find them fro m the clues or by other means, if you can. He winked at Elena and turned away to meet a pale and trembling Nemesis.Caroline. Whatever else shed been doing for the last few minutes, she had been crying, and guide her eyes, and wringing her hands or so Elena guessed from the statistical distribution of her makeup.You, too? she said to Shinichi.You, too?Shinichi smiled his otiose smile. And what two am I? He held up two fingers in the V symbol to differentiate his two from Carolines.Youve move for her, too? Making up songs giving her clues to find Stefan Theyre not very good clues, Shinichi said comfortingly and smiled again.Caroline tried to hit him, but he caught her fist. And you think youre leaving now? Her voice was fling at a scream not as high as Misaos glass-splintering shriek, but with its own fearsome vibrato.Iknow were leaving. He glanced at the sullen Misao. by and by one more item of business. But not with you.Elena tighten up, but Caroline was trying to attack Shinichi again. After what you said to me? After all that yousaid ?Shinichi looked her up and down, seeming to actually see her for the first time. He also looked genuinely bewildered. Saidto you? he asked. Have we spoken before tonight?There was a pinched giggle. Everyone turned. Misao was standing, giggling, her hands over her mouth.I used your image, she said to her brother, her eyes on the base as if confessing to a minor fault. And your voice. In the mirror, when I would give her orders. She was on the reverberate from some guy whod dumped her. I told her Id move in love with her and that I wanted to get revenge on her enemies if shed just do a few little things for me.Like spreading malach through little girls, Damon said grimly.Misao giggled again. And a boy or two. I know what it feels like to have those malach inside you. It doesnt hurt at all. Theyre just there.Have you ever had one force you to do something you didnt want to? Elena demanded. She could feel her no- good eyes blazing. Do you thinkthat would hurt, Misao?It wasnt you? Caroline was still looking at Shinichi she obviously couldnt keep up with the script. It wasntyou ?He sighed, smiling slightly. Not me. Golden hair is my undoing, Im afraid. Goldenor fiery red against black, he added hastily, glancing at his sister.So it was all a lie, Caroline said, and for a moment, desperation was written on her face bigger than anger, with sadness larger than both. Youre just another Elena fan.Look, Elena said bluntly, I dont want him. I hate him. The only guy I care about is StefanOh, hes the only guy, is he? Damon asked, with a glance toward Matt, who had carried Bonnie up close to them while the fox-fight was going on. Mrs. Flowers and Dr. Alpert had followed.You know what I mean, Elena told Damon.Damon shrugged. many another(prenominal) a golden-haired lassie ends as the rough yeomans bride. Then he shook his head. wherefore am I spouting drek like this? His compact body seemed to tower ov er Shinichi.Its just a residual framefrom being possessedyou know. Shinichi fluttered his hands, his eyes still on Elena. My thought patternsIt looked as if another fight was brewing, but then Damon just smiled and said, narrow-eyed, So you let Misao have her way with the town while you went after Elena and me.And Mutt, Damon said hastily and automatically.I was going to say Stefan, Elena said. No, I would guess that Matt was the dupe of one of Misao and Carolines little schemes before he and I ran into you when you were completely possessed.And now you think you can just walk away, Caroline said, in a shaking, menacing voice.Weare walking away, Shinichi said stiffly.Caroline, wait, Elena said. I can help you withWings of Purification. Youre being controlled by a malach.I dont need your help I need ahusband There was utter silence on the roof. Not even Matt stepped up to the plate on this one.Or at least a fianc, Caroline muttered, one hand on her abdomen. My family would accept that.Well work it out, Elena said softly then, firmly, Caroline, believe it.I wouldnt believe in you if Carolines answer was obscene. Then she come down in Elenas direction. Andthen she was silent, by her own choice or because the malach inside her wanted it.Back to business, Shinichi said. Lets see, our price for the service of the clues and the localization is a little block of memory. Lets sayfrom the time I first met Damon until now. taken from Damons mind. He smiled nastily.You cant do that Elena felt timidity shoot through her, starting in her heart and flying out to the farthest reaches of every limb. Hes different now hes remembered things hes changed. If you take that memory away So will all the sweet changes go, Shinichi told her. Would you rather I took your memory?YesBut you were the only one who heard the clues about the key. And in any case I dont want to see things from your eyes. I want to see youthroughhis eyes.By now, Elena was ready to start another fight o n her own. But Damon said, distancing himself already, Go ahead and take what you like. But if you dont get out of this town right after, I take off yourhead with these shears.Agreed.No, Damon Do you want Stefan back?Not at that priceToo bad, Shinichi put in. Thereis no other bargain.Damon Please think about itI have thought. Its my fault that the malach spread so far in the first place. Its my fault for not investigating what was going on with Caroline. I didnt care what happened to humans as long as the new arrivals kept away fromme . But I can receive some of the things I did to you by finding Stefan. He half turned to her, the old devil-may-care smile on his lips. After all, taking care of my brother is my job.Damon listento me.But Damon was looking at Shinichi. Agreed, he said. You have yourself a deal.