Broken - Isadora Quagmire

Chapter Eleven - Terrible Aim

"I can't believe he fooled everyone again" said a voice inside the Orphan Shack.

"Not everyone" Duncan said opening the bad excuse for a door.

"Don't worry Baudelaires. Don't feel disgrace.

The Quagmire Triplets are on the case" I said.

"You're kind and generous friends, but we can't let you get involved"

"Violet's right. Count Olaf is too dangerous"

"He's too dangerous for you to face alone"

"We can run away. All of us. Our parents owned the famous Quagmire Sapphires, so when we come of age, we can live on our own"

" But,we're not of age yet. Besides, we tried running away and ended up working at a lumber mill. Count Olaf still found us there" Klaus looked at a picture on the wall.

"That's a picture of our parents" I said

"Our parents too"

"They did know each other"

"We had this photo in our library. We never paid attention to it"

"I bet there were other mysteries we never noticed"

"Like a spyglass"

"Or a book. We just need to survive long enough to find it"

"The librarian said to check back in a day or so"

"We don't have a day or so. It's almost sundown"

The door swung open. Carmelita was there.

"I'm here to deliver a special message to the Baudelaires" she said and I was already super annoyed. Then she started singing and like before I will not put such a ridiculous and annoying 'song' into this. But to sum it up, Coach Genghis was waiting for the Baudelaires on the athletic field. I do not know why Carmelita would put us through the torture of one of her 'songs' when she could have just said it, but I unfortunately cannot change the past.

"That doesn't rhyme" I said once she finished singing.

"Only cake-sniffers care about poetic form" she stomped away.

"Will you three be okay with Count Olaf?" I asked.

"If he tries to do anything, we will immediately come and find you" Klaus said to me, momentarily holding my hand before we both flinched away.

"Nothing will go wrong" said Violet.

"Then we'll see each other in class and then all meet up at lunch" said Duncan.

"Definitely" smiled Violet.

"We better get going" said Klaus.

"Us too, we can go and check the library for the book before the recital" I said.

"Goodbye, Quagmires" said the Baudelaires.

"Goodbye Baudelaires"

"Quagmires!" said Olivia. "What can I do for you two triplets?"

"We know it's after hours, but did you find that book?"

"I'm sorry. I know you're desperate to get it"

"It's not just the book. There's a whole mystery"

"There certainly is. I couldn't find the book, so I poked around. It's not in any system. It's like it doesn't exist"

"Who dares not be in the auditorium for my recital?"

"The children just had a question about the library"

"The library is now closed until further notice by order of the gym teacher"

"He can't close the library!"

"I admit, I should have looked over his contract more closely. Or at all. He's also designated the walk-in freezer as off-limits, so there go all my Popsicles. It's only temporary, though, until he gets him Special Orphans Running Exercises and what he wants, something, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Now get moving, twins"

"We're not twins"

"Our brother Quigley-"

"Our brother Quigley died in a fire. Yes, yes, I know. Try to work up some pleasant small talk for a change"

When we arrived in the auditorium, the only seats left for us were in the second row. Great.

The next day when Klaus arrived to class, there was no available chairs beside me and he had to sit in the middle row beside Carmelita, who had actually turned up for class. Halfway through the lesson, I could see him slowly falling asleep. So, I ripped a page out of my commonplace book and when nobody was looking and Mrs. Bass had left to go and get more objects to measure, I crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it at his head. But, as anybody who knows me well knows, I have terrible aim and hit Carmelita instead. Her screaming, definitely woke Klaus up. Class was held behind ten minutes because of the interruption of Carmelita screaming at everybody.

"Was that you?" Klaus asked when we finally got out of class.

I couldn't contain my laughter and told him all about my true intentions, which made him put his arm around me and laugh too. Though he quickly took his arm away. We were still laughing when we arrived at the lunch table, where Violet, Duncan and Sunny were anxiously waiting. 

"Where have you been?" Duncan asked. "Why are you laughing?"

"Did you know that your sister has terrible aim, Duncan?"

"Of course I do, I've known it for almost my whole life. Why?"

"Are you gonna tell him?"

"I don't think we should. I don't want anyone to overhear us"

"Isadora threw a piece of paper at Carmelita" Klaus whispered.

"No!" said Violet.

"You didn't, did you?"

"Not directly"

"And Carmelita made such a fuss, the whole class was kept behind after the bell"

"What happened with Count Olaf" I asked, sitting down.

"Congratulations on changing subjects" Duncan whispered from across the table. I smiled.

"It wasn't what we were expecting" said Klaus. "He just made us run laps"

"Pardon?" I said.

"He just made us run labs until the sun rose. I can hardly believe it either" Violet said.

"My sisters and I are extremely thankful for all your help, if we have to continue to do laps until sunrise every night, I'm glad we have friends like you and Duncan to help us"

"Klaus. It's what friends are for"