Prologue

:::

She was whimpering, the poor little thing. The sobs that escaped her trembling mouth had the other one staring at her like she was something precious. And she was, mused the other half. She was a precious little thing that they had destroyed.

All of them had broken something that was perfect. One by one they picked away at her; mentally, physically and emotionally. The girl who was curled into a ball was not the headstrong, confident being she had been upon realizing her power.

They took that away from her.

First it was the doppelganger with her fault promises of friendship and sisterly love. How the girl had twisted and manipulated her into becoming her personal spell caster.

Then it was the Forbes girl. She knew that while before they had not been close but after the blonde had been turned into a vampire, their friendship took another turn. They did love each other. That was not a lie.

She was currently crying out for her friend. Currently trying, fighting the Salvatore's hold on her to get to her little bird.

But she would still put her own needs before her friends sometimes, just not as much as the doppelganger's. The poor dear would not last long in her good graces.

The Salvatore brothers only used her. The youngest claimed to care for her but that was nothing but sugar-coated lies. The elder one openly admitted his disdain for her bird.

The doppelganger's brother; he claimed to love her, yet he still loved his ghostly lover. She could see it in his eyes. The way he stared at her bird as if looking for another. Her bird knew it. She just wished she would speak it.

The only ones who would be safe from her wrath were the Donovan and Lockwood boys. They did care for her. She knew the Lockwood boy saw her as pack. Before her alliance with the Salvatores, they were close.

She was his Beta, she just didn't know it.

The Originals would not suffer; sans the scholar. He had played a part in Abigail's transition from a witch to a vampire.

But all that would later.

After she laid Silas to rest, after her little bird had been reconstructed into what she was meant to be.

Qetsiyah knelt down before her little bird; Bonnie was her name. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Her fingers grazed the other's shaking shoulders. Emerald eyes looked up, meeting brown ones.

"Hello my little bird," addressed the other one. "Do you know who I am?"

She shook her head. Qetsiyah expected as much. Silas had reached deep inside her mind and pushed away the memories and Qetsiyah's presence during their hypnosis sessions while masquerading as the professor.

"I am you," she answered. "An older form of you from long ago. I am your past, your guardian. And if you'll allow me, the one who will reconstruct you into what you once were."

Bonnie titled her head. "How?"

Qetsiyah smiled and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I will keep you safe until you are ready to come back. For now my dear, I want you to sleep. Let me out," she whispered.

The chanting outside, in the realm of the living, was getting louder. A piercing scream echoed. Bonnie's screams.

She turned back to her little bird. "Will you let me in?"

"You still haven't told me who you are."

She smiled. "Qetsiyah," she answered.

Bonnie frowned softly, "A mouthful," she muttered. "I like Tessa better."

The older half smiled, her brown eyes bright. "Will you let me out?" she repeated. Her voice had dropped into a low purr. "Please my little bird?"

The emerald eyed girl nodded.

"Yes," she muttered.

Qetsiyah smiled and kissed her forehead. "Sleep my little bird. Once you're strong again, I will let you back out," she said. Once I teach your friends a lesson, she added mentally.

Bonnie shut her eyes, a name falling from her lips before she fell into slumber.

:::

Her eyes fluttered open, a light confusion coming over her. She knew where she was. She also knew she was not alone. She moved to sit up, and for a moment, she thought she was met with Silas.

No, she reminded herself as she stared into the green eyes that were too much like her former friend's, this is the Ripper— this is Stefan.

"Bonnie," he greeted. "Are you okay?"

She blinked. "What happened?" she asked, feigning confusion.

"How much do you remember?" He asked.

"I remember the island…Shane," she muttered. "It's all kind of fuzzy."

Stefan looked like he was raging an internal war. "You need to know," he said. She braced herself physically while she knew all along what he was going to say.

Jeremy was dead. Elena had turned off her emotions. The basics of what she already knew. But she stilled played her part. She played the crying best friend. She played the part of a grieving girlfriend.

And once Stefan left her to wallow in her "grief" because as usual Elena needed him more, she moved towards her bird's closet. She opened the door and searched it before her fingers grazed over the sleeve of a coat. She pulled it from the hanger and slipped it on before climbing back into bed.

Her little bird was a very private person when she wanted to be. She shut her eyes and fell back onto the mattress.

She could feel the photograph against her breast pocket. She pulled it from the pocket and smiled softly before placing it under her pillow.

Soon little bird, she mused. You'll be reunited with him soon.

She would have to hunt down Niklaus Mikaelson but she was going to follow through with her promise.

Qetsiyah was not going to fail her. She frowned, Bonnie was right it was too long. Maybe she could try Tessa.

It seemed to fit.