A Series Of Different Events

Chapter 20 - Up in flames

"Klaus?!" Violet's eyes widened as her younger brother, who she had last seen two days ago, leaving him behind in the Firestarters' base as hostage, along with their baby sister.
"Sunny!" She rushed to hug them, her grip on The Sugar Bowl loosening.

Klaus hugged her back tightly. "I.. I thought you were dead-" He choked up as relief flooded his veins, as Violet's arms were around him.
"How did you get out?" Violet asked, as she stepped back. Klaus shrugged.
"We broke out ourselves. A friend of ours parents helped me get here, to save you and return some sort of.. Teapot?"

Violet laughed. "The Sugar Bowl. I have it here, me and Adrianna are taking it back to its rightful owners."
Klaus frowned. "Owners? There's only one and that's Lemony Snicket?"

Snicket. There it was again. But Violet didn't process it fully, as she also frowned. "But the Man with a beard but no hair and the Woman with hair but no beard own it?"
Klaus shook his head.
"They don't, they stole it. Violet, give it to me and we can get out."

She took a step back, closer to Adrianna. "No.." she said quietly, shaking her head. "I have to keep us alive."
A mixture of anger, fear and sadness clouded Klaus' face like a veil. Violet had made up her mind, had chosen her side and he has chosen his. But he nodded.
"I understand."

Violet gave a relieved smile, and they went to hug eachother again. Suddenly, Violet heard Klaus' voice in her ear.
"I'm sorry"

And the weight of The Sugar Bowl disappeared from her hand. Before she could compute what happened, Adrianna had sprung to her feet, shoving Violet.
"Get him!! He stole The Sugar Bowl!!!"
Violet seemed to wake up, but Klaus and Sunny  had gone by then. Adrianna grabbed her wrist tightly, and they started to give chase.

"Klaus!! Sunny!!" Violet yelled. Just like that, she had lost her siblings again, lost The Sugar Bowl.

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Klaus sprinted as fast as he could put of the hospital, Sunny in his arms and The Sugar Bowl tucked into the large zip-up pocket on the inside of his jacket. He had never ran faster, wind whipping up his hair as he zigzagged through the endless, terrifying corridors, screams and coughs and sobbing and other sounds of miserable ill people faintly heard all over the hospital.

He reached the another back entrance, and almost slammed into it as he skidded to a halt. He wrestled with the handle, but it would not move. He heard Violet and Adrianna's shouts and footsteps coming towards him, and he looked at the window. He sighed, weighing up his options. He glanced down at Sunny, who shrugged and made a confused noise.

It felt so wrong, as Klaus picked up one of the brooms, the handle hard, strong wood. He shoved second thoughts away, as he lifted the broom, and smashed it through the window.

The window was also locked, but now it was also shattered. Klaus shut the door of the corridor hurriedly, buying him some time to scramble onto the windowsill. The glass shards dug into his hands and tears prickled his eyes as the glass splinters pricked his hands, bleeding over the white windowsill. He climbed awkwardly through the sharp gap in the glass, dropped to the ground.

Sunny had a small cut on her face from the glass, and Klaus felt his own skin tingling from the numb shock of a deep, thin cut. As soon as his shoes touched the turf, he ran, back to Kit's taxi.

He turned his head, over his shoulder. Violet and Adrianna had not followed him, and he continued back to the taxi. Panting, he managed his insane flight for freedom with The Sugar Bowl in one piece, and Kit was waiting for him. She saw the blood on his hands as he held out The Sugar Bowl, her relief at seeing the china ornament short lived.

"Where's Violet?"
At her question, Klaus couldn't hold in the tears any more. They fled down his cheeks, mixing with the blood to create a translucent, pinky colour. He shook his head as Kit took Sunny and The Sugar Bowl from him, hugging Sunny to her and placing The Sugar Bowl in her bag.

"S-she.. the Firestarters.. she's one of t-them.." Klaus sobbed, and he felt Kit wrap her arms around him. He melted into the hug, Sunny next him, but the person missing was Violet. Violet. Violet, your sister. Violet, the Firestarter. Violet, the traitor. Her name repeated in his head.

No, this wasn't real. It was a horrible, long, nightmare, and he'd wake up to see Sunny and Violet next to him in their beds, amd they'd walk down happily to the kitchen where Bertrand and Beatrice would be bickering good naturedly over which type of bread was the best toasted.

His mother and father, dead. His older sister, betrayed him. His little sister? He would protect her at all cost.

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The Man with a beard but no hair and his ghastly wife were furious. They were shaking in anger as she screamed in frustration and he looked at all the Firestarters, particularly Violet and Adrianna, in extreme disappointment.

"Adrianna?" He started quietly. Her gaze snapped up at him, eyes wide.
"Sir?"
"Is it true, that you let Klaus Baudelaire who was supposed to be locked up, steal The Sugar Bowl from you and his sister?"

Adrianna nodded. The Man  with a beard but no hair looked down at her, figurative fire in his eyes, and he struck her across the face with the back of his hand.
"You incompetent child! I expected more from you!!" He raised his voice, anger breaking through his calm facade.

Some of the Firestarters let of our quiet gasps, and Violet jumped forward, infront of Adrianna, who lay on the floor, her hand to her red cheek.

"It was my fault! I let Klaus get away, I was the one who had The Sugar Bowl, he took it from me, it wasn't Adrianna's fault-" Violet panicked, stepping back, closer to Adrianna. The Man with a beard but no hair lent closer.

"Oh? So how would you like to make up for it, to.. ahh, Volunteer?" He questioned, and Violet shuddered. It was a mistake, she never should have listened to his words, promising freedom if she helped him.

What choice did she have. Her siblings were gone, her parents were gone, it was her fault and whatever happened to her is what she deserved, she thought, but her breaths came short as the Man with a beard but no hair held out a box of matches, and she could see her scared reaction reflecting on his glasses. She took the match, her hands shaking.

Violet struck it, once, hard, on the rough surface of the side of the matchbox, the little sandy red dots igniting the match. The head erupted into flame, the sharp smell of burning hitting Violet's nostrils. The smell made her dizzy. The Woman with hair but no beard looked at her, expectantly, and Violet dropped the match.