After The End

Chapter the Fifth: Help Wanted!

Word Count: 2000

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The children had lived in the apartment for almost a week before Justice Strauss took them out to shop for furniture. They first ended up getting the beds and getting a table with chairs to eat dinner.

That same day, they brought the furniture home and placed the big boxes in the living room. They left the furniture alone for the rest of the day and they spent the rest of the day all together in the apartment.

After dinner, they all separated among the apartment, all eight doing their own things. Beatrice and Sunny sat on Sunny's pile of cushions and blankets, Sunny telling Beatrice stories about the island and Beatrice's parents. Klaus sat on his mattress, reading, but also smiling as he heard his little sister telling the stories. Carmelita sat on the floor of the living room, with her sewing machine, making a little dress for Beatrice and a small sweater for Sunny. Duncan was in the living room too. He sat on the couch, scribbling things down in his commonplace book, and really hoping that he'd be able to get a typewriter eventually. Isadora sat by the window in her room, gazing at the outside world and writing down couplets whenever she thought of one. Quigley was currently looking around for Violet, because he didn't really feel like doing anything else, he just wanted to talk to her at the moment. He really liked to spend time with her.

He went into the living room and asked Carmelita and Duncan, who hadn't seen her. He then asked Klaus, who hadn't either.

She must be in the study he thought to himself. Well, it was the only room left... well, it was a fairly small apartment...

He walked down the very small hallway to the end, into the study. It was a fairly big room actually. It was about as big as the room he shared with his siblings and Carmelita. However, the room was very empty. His heart sank, really not knowing where else he could look. But then, Quigley saw that the window was open, and he smirked, knowing now where Violet was.

He walked over, and surely enough, Violet was sitting on the fire escape balcony outside of the window, looking out at the city. He laid his left arm down on the windowsill, then leaned his chin onto his right fist, "Well hello there, I didn't expect to find you here," Quigley said playfully, then Violet turned her head, smiling at him. Quigley grinned back, then climbing through the window and sitting next to her.

Quigley looked over at the beautiful girl next to him and couldn't help the smile from staying on his lips. Her gaze remained on the city in front of her. It was beautiful in a way, the dirty, busy city. It was just hard to notice most times.

"So, why is Miss Violet Baudelaire out here?" He asked. Violet shrugged, then she looked at him, just silent. Quigley gave her a concerned look, "Are you alright?" He asked. Violet nodded, biting back a smile, "Of course," She said, blushing a bit because even the slightest bit of sadness she showed made Quigley very worried, "I'm just... surprised? I guess I'm having trouble with realizing that we're all actually here. I mean, you and your siblings found us, Carmelita is here too and she's nice, and we're living together in an apartment. It's great, it really is. I just can't believe what we had to go through to get here..." She said, now looking sad. Quigley nodded, now completely serious. He listened very intently to Violet, then processing what she said, "I get it... I often ask myself why we couldn't have just had normal childhoods? And I know how painful it is, to look back at all of the people and the things you've lost... We lost our homes and so many people," Quigley said, now trailing off. He looked over at Violet, who had tears forming in her pretty blue eyes, "It's terrible... and no one will understand... not even Justice Strauss. I know she means well, but you don't understand unless you've been through it."