#foundersgala

Chapter 4: Witches’ Oaths

The morning after the Founders’ Gala arrived shrouded in quiet gloom, the sort that lingered in the corners of Bennet house crept through Mystic Falls itself. The air felt thick, heavy with all that had gone unsaid. In the kitchen, Isabel moved through her routines with deliberate gentleness—filling the kettle, setting out tea, letting her presence speak comfort. Across the table, Bonnie Bennett sat rigid, her hands curled tight around a mug she hadn’t touched, shoulders drawn in against the chill of memory and regret. Sunlight struggled through rain-splattered windows, casting pale ribbons that barely brightened the mood.

Isabel poured tea, her movements soft and measured. “It’s alright if you can’t talk yet. We can work in silence, if that’s easier. Sometimes the hands know what to do before the heart does.”

Bonnie glanced up, a brittle edge to her expression. “I feel like I don’t belong anywhere right now. Like I’m drifting.”

Isabel reached across the table, her hand a warm, steadying weight. “You belong right here. Would you like to go through Emily’s spellbook? Magic can help anchor us. We can do it together.”

A long silence. Bonnie’s reply, quiet but hopeful: “Yeah. I’d like that. I just… I miss Grams so much.”

They settled together on the couch, rain tapping a steady rhythm against the glass as Isabel retrieved a stack of worn books from her sideboard. The one she placed on top—Emily Bennett’s spellbook—was wrapped in a faded ribbon, its cover scuffed with age and history. Bonnie cradled it for a moment, then opened to the first page, running her fingers over the inked script. She breathed in the scent of old paper and sage, feeling something steady inside her begin to thaw.

As Isabel read aloud, the familiar cadence of spells seemed to settle Bonnie’s nerves. Together, they turned pages filled with sigils, protective circles, half-legible notes in Sheila’s looping hand. Isabel’s voice guided Bonnie gently: “Every witch leaves a mark, Bonnie. Our choices, our restraint—that’s our true legacy.”

Bonnie’s voice wavered. “But what if anger is all I have left?”

“Then you learn to hold it without letting it rule you.” Isabel turned another page, pointing out a healing incantation. “Magic is a promise. A burden and a blessing. Power untempered can shatter, but channeled with care—it can heal.”

Bonnie fell silent, her thumb tracing the edge of the page. “Sometimes it feels like I’m still at that kitchen table with Grams—her voice in my ear, correcting my mistakes.”

For a moment, Bonnie was lost in memory—a kitchen warm with sunlight, the clatter of teacups, Sheila’s laughter filling the space as Bonnie stumbled through an incantation, only to be gently guided back by her grandmother’s patient hands. The ache of loss tightened in her chest.

As they delved deeper, Bonnie discovered a nearly hidden page folded into the spine—a sketch of a peculiar metal device. “Jonathan Gilbert,” she read aloud, her tone distant and astonished. “Emily Bennett wrote about his inventions. It says here that every one of them was spelled by Bennett witches.” The margin notes detailed how the devices functioned, and more crucially, how they could be unmade.

Isabel felt the change in the room, a new current of electricity in Bonnie’s aura. “So the device Elena’s after—it’s bound by a Bennett spell?”

Bonnie’s lips parted in realization. “Only a Bennett can break it. And Elena and the Salvatores are counting on me.”

Her confession tumbled out in fits and starts—about her Grams, about guilt, about fury at the vampires who refused to leave well enough alone. “She died trying to seal that tomb,” Bonnie whispered, voice rough. “They made a mess of everything. I want to help Elena, but I also want the vampires to pay for what they did. I want to keep her safe. I’m not sure I can do both.”

Isabel’s hand closed over Bonnie’s, her jaw tight, eyes brimming with a quiet empathy. “I’ve kept secrets for the wrong reasons before. The choices you make—sometimes, there’s no right one. The question is whether you can live with it.”

Tears spilled down Bonnie’s cheeks as she admitted her plan: “If I pretend to break the spell, the device will still work. Elena will trust me, and if the vampires try anything, it’ll stop them. But… I can’t tell her. Or anyone. Not yet.”

For a beat, Isabel’s composure slipped—her hand tightened on the spellbook, knuckles pale. “That’s a heavy secret, Bonnie. It could cost more than you expect.”

“I know. But I can’t forgive them. Not yet. Please… just promise you won’t tell.”

The old oath settled between them, heavy and binding. Isabel gave a solemn nod. “I swear, by magic and by friendship. This stays between us.”

Dusk bled into the room. Bonnie gathered her things, shoulders lighter but her eyes still stormy. At the door, she paused, looking back. “Thank you—for listening. For not judging.”

Isabel offered a gentle smile. “My door is always open. If the weight gets too much, come back. Just remember—revenge never brings the peace we want. But you have choices. Always.”

Bonnie nodded, managing a wan smile before disappearing into the evening, burdened but no longer alone.

Isabel lingered, the house settling around her in the blue hush of night. She ran her hands over the spellbooks, her mind spinning back to a century past—the Salvatore brothers’ laughter echoing in firelit halls, secrets and mischief and shared dreams. Friendship and heartbreak tangled together, forever changed by choices made in fear and love alike.

Drawing herself into the present, Isabel carried the spellbooks to the garden. Kneeling among rain-dampened herbs, she pressed her palms to the earth, whispering old words as she wove protective wards into the soil—charms for safety, for hope, for the town and for the young witches she’d promised to protect. Every knot tied and rune traced was a small rebellion against despair and division.

Later, she watched moonlight spill through the window, feeling the echo of Bonnie’s anger and courage. In the solitude, Isabel reaffirmed her promise: when the time came, she would stand between darkness and those she loved—no matter how tangled the cost. The past might haunt her, but she would not let it define the future.

As midnight swept across Mystic Falls, Isabel let herself rest at last, the weight of secrets and oaths settling around her. Two witches lay awake—each on her own uncertain path, each holding tight to hope and the power of choice.

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