A One Shot Book of Unfortunate Events

More Than Wonderful

*Isadora's POV*

Duncan and I had just been thrown in a cage after being kidnapped by Count Olaf.  Once we were alone, meaning Olaf had left us with a small bit of food and water and left, I looked the lock over, wincing at the cuts on my arms from the hook-handed man. Duncan went on a rant that I tried to ignore.

" We're dead! I'm an idiot! I promised nothing would go wrong! They'll never forgive us! We let them down! I... I let her down. " Duncan sank to the floor of the cage, sobbing quietly.

"I know it seems like that. It was not our fault. It was not the Baudelaire's fault. It's Olaf's. And nothing you do can let Violet down." I comforted my brother, "I think I know how we can get out."

" H-how?" He stuttered, sniffling.
"Do you know how Violet and Klaus know how to pick locks?"
"Yeah, why?"
" Klaus taught me how to pick locks. "
"Oh did he now?" Duncan asked, smirking as he wiped his tears.

I nodded. Klaus taught me how to pick locks and it was pretty impressive. "It's a pretty simple lock. That shows something about Olaf. He comes up with these crazy elaborate plans, but is so dumb, he puts a simple lock on a cage in attempt to trap a girl with a hairpin..." I pulled the bobby-pin out of my hair and let two small pieces of hair fall back into place and frame my face. That rhymes...

"Gimme a second. Couplet idea." I added, pulling out my commonplace notebook that Olaf was also dumb enough to give back instead of keep.

Duncan scoffed as I wrote down the couplet.

"If everything had fallen into place; Klaus Baudelaire, I'd kiss your handsome face."

Wow that sucks, I thought, I'll perfect it some other time. "Anyway, I can pick the lock." I summarized, adjusting the hairpin to how Klaus suggested if I were to use one for lock-picking. Violet was right. It is surprising how often it comes in handy. I stuck it in the keyhole and fiddled around with it. I heard a soft click, followed by a loud klang! The lock had fallen to the ground after opening. I shuddered at the loud noise, waiting for Olaf or someone from his troupe to inspect. Nobody came. I gently opened the door of the cage. It creaked slightly and Duncan and I slipped out, remembering to bring the rations. We felt along the dark, cold walls and followed the tunnel. We followed it as far as it led us.

"It's that eye," my brother croaked, "This is a VFD tunnel."
"Where do you think we'll end up?" I asked the ladder, dragging my fingers along the cold metal rungs. He grabbed my wrist.
"We don't know. That's the problem."
I yanked it from his grasp. "It could be a volunteer..."
" Or it could be a villain. "

I shuddered. Lord knows what the Fire-starters would do to us, being the direct descendants of the infamous Quinten and Karen Quagmire. God I missed Mom and Dad. I think Duncan was thinking about them too. We quickly wiped tears from our eyes and I suggested we look at our notes on the passageways.

We flicked through our notebooks until Duncan said he found something.

*Duncan's POV*

"There should be a last name imprinted on a specific rung." I summarized, "There's math equation, but not the rung." I handed Isadora my green notebook and showed her where I was looking.

-3x + 17= -1

"It's an algebra code. X probably represents the rung." She took her pencil and did the problem. X ended up equaling 6. I checked 6 from the bottom; There was no name on it.

"Try six from the top." Isadora said.

I climbed up the ladder to the top and counted down six. "Baudelaire..." I whispered, looking at the engraving of our... friends'... last name.

"What is it?" Isadora asked me.
"Baudelaire..." I repeated.
She began to climb the ladder as I forced open the trap door. We, if course, knew the Baudelaires wouldn't be there, but they said their mansion was in ruins...

I helped Izzie up and she shut the trap door. We looked around at the crumbling walls around us.  It was the library. I noticed a clock with a toaster in it... Violet Baudelaire, you are an enigma. I love it. I love you...

"Dunc, look." Isadora called, showing a photo that mostly survived the fire somehow. They looked so happy. Violet and Klaus were with two adults. Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire. I recognized them from A History of Secret Organizations. Mrs. Baudelaire was holding a baby; Sunny, I assume. Violet was the spitting image of her mother, except her Father's crystal blue eyes replaced her mother's dark brown ones. I wondered if Bertrand would've liked me.

"We should bring this to them once we find them again," Isadora suggested.
"If..." I corrected.
"When." She insisted sternly. Isadora was a believer. I loved my sister, but damn her attitude when it comes to things she's passionate about.
"When." I agreed.

She tucked the picture into the pocket inside the notebook, like a folder sort of pocket. We brushed off the ashes from our uniforms as we exited the ruins of what was clearly a once beautiful mansion. There was a large pile of newspapers at the front gate. Did the paperboy not understand that nobody lived here anymore? I gazed upon the copies of a few issues of The Daily Punctilio from the last three days.

I guess I couldn't complain much. There was a picture on the most recent one that was dated this afternoon. In it, were the Baudelaires, Esmé Squalor, and Olaf dressed in another disguise. Make that the fifth disguise. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny looked so miserable. I hated seeing them like that.

I could tell Isadora felt the same way. She thought of Klaus the same way I thought of Violet. I'm normally overprotective of her, but they love eachother and Klaus is a great guy. Suddenly, as if by fate, a taxi pulled up. The driver was Jacques Snicket and Ms. Caliban was in the passenger's seat.

"Duncan, Isadora, thank goodness you two are okay!" She exclaimed, wrapping us in a tight hug. She was like our mother at Prufrock Prep. Ms. Caliban was the only adult who even gave us a smile.

"We know where the Baudelaires are! Can you please take us to them? Olaf is there in another disguise! They're in danger!" Isadora asked, showing her the article. There were bound to be huge inconsistencies in the story; It is The Daily Punctilio, after all.

"Of course!" She said as we climbed into the taxi. "We wouldn't want to keep you from your... Friends..." She added with a smirk. Isadora and I blushed. We spent all our free time in the library, where Ms. Caliban worked, and we knew our crushes on the Elder Baudelaires weren't unnoticed by her.

"When everything is said and done, and the Baudelaires are here with us, how would you two feel about me adopting you? Violet, Klaus and Sunny could live with us. I've grown very fond of you children. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

I felt my lip quiver and a tear spill out of my eye. "That sounds more than wonderful!" Isadora answered. I agreed. Soon, the taxi was on its way to 667 Dark Avenue, where we'd save the Baudelaires from Olaf's clutches.

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1262 words

A/N: Part 2 anyone? Comment "Why tf you up at 12:30 am?" to request a part 2!