on the hour, and then she and the others left the first volunteer, Bonnie,
alone, so as to be more comfortable.
It was the next morning. Damon had already been out to visit
Leigh, the antiques-seller’s niece, who had seemed very glad to see him.
And now he was back, to look with scorn at the slug-a-beds who were
distributed all around the boardinghouse.
That was when he saw the bouquet.
It was heavily sealed down with wards—amulets to help get it
through the dimensional gap. There was something powerful in there.
Damon cocked his head to one side.
Hmm…I wonder what?
Dear Diary,
I don’t know what to say. We’re home.
Last night we each had a long bath…and I was half-disappointed,
because my favorite long-handled back-scrubbing brush wasn’t there,
and there was no star ball to make dreamy music for Stefan—and the
water was LUKEWARM! And Stefan went to see if the water heater was
turned on all the way and met Damon going to do the same thing! Only,
they couldn’t because we’re home again.
But I woke up a couple of hours ago for a few minutes to see the
most beautiful sight in the world…a sunrise. Pale pink and eerie green
in the east, with nighttime still full dark in the west. Then deeper rose in
the sky, and the trees all wreathed in dew clouds. Then a shiny glory