Broken - Isadora Quagmire

Chapter Eighteen - The Gas Station

I used to think that the sound of laughter was a happy, joyful thing - not anymore.

It had been hours and it was now pitch black outside of the car. The crying had stopped but the laughter and torment prevailed. We had only stopped once, when Count Olaf had to make an important phone call. Duncan and I could have tried to escape when we stopped but it would be no use, there was nothing and nobody around.

We stopped again ,at a gas station this time. Count Olaf, the white faced women, the henchperson of indeterminate gender and the bald henchman all got out of the car, leaving the hook-handed man to watch over me and Duncan. He decided to stand outside of the car.

"What do we do?" I said.

"I don't know. There might be someone inside the gas station..."

"Do you think you could run inside if I distract him?"

"How will you do that?"

"Back at Prufrock Prep, when me and Klaus were bored in class, we would pretend to go to the bathroom and hang out in the broom closet or the Orphan Shack for a while"

"You and Klaus would skip class?"

"Duncan, pay attention. Do you think you could run inside for help?"

"What about Count Olaf? He just went inside before"

"Run straight for help"

"I don't know about this what if something goes wrong? What if Count Olaf catches me or you and kills us like  he did with the Baudelaire's Uncle Monty and Aunt Joesphine?"

"He won't do that"

"Why wouldn't - because of our sapphires"

"I thought you had a good memory Duncan"

"It's been a troublesome 24 hours Issy" he stopped when he saw my face

"I thought we agreed that after Quigley-"

"Sorry, its just-"

"I know". I knocked on the car window, giving the henchman a fright. "Excuse me!" I said "but I need to use the bathroom"

"You can wait"

"No. I really can't"

The hook-handed man huffed but opened the door, letting me out. "You" he pointed at my brother "stay here". Duncan nodded, it was up to him now.

I opened the door to the ladies bathroom and the white face women walked out. The hook-handed man said he would wait outside the door,  in case I tried to escape. I was standing waiting for Duncan or the police or someone to arrest the man outside and every other villain then come and save me and reunite me with Klaus           and his sisters. But that never came, instead I heard a scream.

"Duncan" I muttered. I knew that something bad must have happened and that it was only a matter of time before the door swung open and I was dragged back to the  filthy long black automobile, so I looked around the bathroom for something, anything. Then I saw it, in the bin, lipstick.  I picked it up out of the bathroom with tissues covering my hands, I knew it was disgusting but I continued and started writing on the mirror "Isadora and Duncan Quagmire" I wrote "are in dange-" a woman walked in.

She had blonde hair and stood tall and proud. "Whats going on in here?" the woman asked.

"I need your help" I said. "My brother and I were kidnapped from Prufrock Preparatory School by Count Olaf, the notorious villain. My name is Isadora-"

"I know exactly who you are, Isadora Quagmire" she spoke with a thick British accent "and you know who I am"

"I'm sorry but I don't recognise you"

"You will know me. I am Esme Gigi Genevieve Squalor" she said.

"Esme. You have to help me. My brother, I just heard him scream and-"

"Follow me" she said, opening the door.

"There's a man guarding the door, he has hooks for hands if he sees me-"

"There's no man out here"

I peeked my head out of the door and he was gone. I followed Esme into the gas station.

"Isadora. You know my boyfriend, don't you?"

"Lipstick on the mirror? Nice try. But I already know that one" Count Olaf said. We were now in a limousine that Esme was driven to the gas station in.

"The Baudelaires didn't tell us about a mirror" I said.

"He isn't talking about  the Baudelaires, orphan" said Esme. "Although, I bet there's plenty of things that the Baudelaires didn't tell you"

"Me, my brother and the Baudelaires were completely honest with each other, we're friends" I looked at my brother, still shaken after what he saw in the gas station. There was still blood on his hands.

"So, did they tell you about how Violet and I were married?"

"Violet would never marry you"

"And did you tell the Baudelaires about what happened with you lived with your Aunts?" asked Esme.

"We didn't want to worry them. How do you know about that?"

"That's a story for another day, maybe when we get to the Island"

"Island?"