Leilani Squalor- the cities sixth most important financial advisor's daughter

Part 24- Two years later

I sit at the coffee shop, sipping my tea sadly. I've started not having sugar. Tea tastes better when it's bitter. Ever since the fire at the hotel though, I've not really been drinking tea anyway, but the menu here isn't very broad. I look down at the note. They promised they would be here. I'm early anyway, so I may at well calm down.

Mum was against me leaving the house. She's been happy still, minus the fact she never did get her hands on that stupid sugar bowl. The multiple boyfriends she has at any given time keep her happy, and I'm learning to chose my battles. Carmelita got into the modelling business too, and it's a good thing that the brattiness was a phrase. She's still a little bit of a pain, but modelling keeps her quiet. I rub my ankle. The tattoo is still sort of fresh, but it stands for a good cause. Mum still doesn't know, and it wont hurt to keep that from her. VFD. An organisation that shut down a long time ago, until the younger generation reopened it. Duncan, Isadora, and Quigley Quagmire began it. They reached out to me a while back, asking if I wanted to join them. I said I would. It felt right. I trace it, before putting my feet back on the floor. Slowly, I take another sip of my tea. The sugar packets are to my left, and I could easily take one. So I do. What is the point? I may as well have some sugar if I'm truly going to be meeting the right people. The door of the coffee shop dings as it opens and I look up. Two and a half people enter, and I smile, standing up. The tall girl looks at me, and smiles, "Leilani Gigi!"
"Violet," I smile. Klaus walks up to me and hugs me, sniffling a little. We all sit at the table, and I take a closer look at Violet. There is Violet, Klaus, Sunny, and a little baby. I gasp, "Violet, who is this!"
Violet hands over the little girl and smiles, "Beatrice Baudelaire. Kit Snicket's baby. Kit... Kit died on the island we went to."
"What?" I ask, cradling her. Sunny, who is five at this point, says, "We washed up on an island after escaping the hotel!"
I gawp, and whisper, "Who was with you? What happened?"
Klaus says, "We washed up on an island, like Sunny said. It was difficult. We had to... it was hard, I mean, of course it was. There was a community of people on the island, and they were all nice to us. It was suspicious though. The leader wasn't the worst man we've come across, but not a good man either. It... we'll explain it another day, Leilani."
"And Olaf?" I ask, "It's mental, I know, but is Olaf okay?"
Violet and Klaus exchange a look, and I whisper, "I don't love him like a father, but I'm worried about him. He was an awful person, but he loved my mum for a little bit."
Beatrice babbles in my arms, and Violet says, "Leilani, I'm so sorry."
I cover my mouth with one hand, gasping and keeping Beatrice secure with the other. Klaus bows his head, and I ask, "Really? He can't have..."
Violet nods, and sighs, "He pretended to be Kit, and had the fungus on his stomach. Oh, the leader, Ish, was the founder of VFD."
"One story at a time," Sunny smiles at me. Violet nods, and continues, "After a while, he got shot with a harpoon gun in his stomach. The fungus was spread to the island. The community left, and well, Kit appeared. She gave birth to little Beatrice, and sat next to Olaf as they were dying. Kit got infected, and she began dying too. They both refused the antidote. It would've had side effects on the baby. Leilani, they were in love. They held each other, and spoke about poetry as they died. Quoting things."
I nod, looking down at Beatrice. She smiles at me, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. I ask, "How did you leave the island?"
"We stayed there for a year," Klaus sighs, "And left. Our parents had lived there."
"Baudelaires," I gasp, "Oh, VFD has begun again. I joined, and I know you probably don't want to. It isn't like the beginning of it. The first time. We don't fight fires like how our parents used to. We... we make the world a better place. I feel ridiculous saying this. Although, it's less of VFD in comparison to what it used to be. I don't know how to describe this. We... we have learned from our mistakes."
"We nearly died on that island," Violet sighs, "The fungus got to us. We were okay. Apples. It's apples that safe us. Did Esme and Carmelita get out the hotel?"
I nod, and Violet sighs in relief. Klaus asks, "Why are you shocked?"
"My mum and Carmi... Carmelita did nothing in your life to help you. You don't need to be happy for them," I sigh, "Wait, hold on. Did you say that Kit and Olaf were in love?"
Sunny nods, and Klaus explains, "It's really hard to understand-"
"Did he die happy?" I ask, "Did Olaf die happy?"
Violet nods, and says, "Before he died, he did say something about you. He wanted you to know that while he wasn't your father, you annoyed him like you were his own child."
I smile, wiping my eyes and handing Beatrice over to Klaus. Violet smiles as I sigh, "And I did my best to annoy him like a daughter should annoy their father. Countie. I never got to call him Countie that often. I called him it once."
"My parents left this book at the island," Violet pulls a book out her bag, "We write in it every day. Leilani, I'm sorry you had to find out Olaf died like this."
"I'm sorry for everything I didn't do for you," I sigh, "I was an ignorant little girl."
"You were a scared little girl," Violet sighs, "But I'm sure you know."
"Know what?"
"What friends are for."