The Sad Truth a story of Quigley Quagmire [Under editing]

Chapter 2

          While the Quagmire triplets were working in the library, the phone in the foyer started to ring, Quigley went to go pick up the phone and found the person calling to be someone unexpected and who he had never seen nor heard of before.
          "Quagmire residence, Quigley speaking"
          "Hello Quigley, my name is Count Olaf and I work with your parents, they asked me to call them, are they home?"
          "I'm sorry sir. My parents are at a meeting right now but I can tell them you called and have them call you back when they get home." Count Olaf was about to respond when Quigley heard Isadora calling him back into the library. "Quigley you wrinkled the carpet with dad's desk chair, you better come fix it before they get home!"
          "Coming Isadora" Quigley called back to his sister.
          "One moment sir, sorry, my little sister needs my help with something real fast. I will be right back" Quigley said into the phone before dropping the phone and leaving it to hang down from the cord against the wall while he quickly ran into the library to fix the carpet.

          Quigley was lifting up the carpet and adjusting it when he noticed something strange beneath it. underneath the carpet, there was a trap door with a weird eye shaped symbol etched on the top. He didn't know what to think of it so he covered it right back up and went back to the phone without a second thought.

          "Sorry about that, you said you worked with my parents right?"
          "That is correct" Count Olaf replied.
          "Well, would you happen to know why we might have a trapdoor in our library?"
          "Yes. Our organization has lots of trap doors under the members' homes leading to an underground tunnel system. I helped your parents build the one in your home, a little before you kids were born."
          "What? That's Awesome!" Quigley replied, unable to keep his love for maps at bay.
          "I'm actually in the underground tunnels right now, come through the trap door in 5 minutes and meet me so we can talk in person."
          "Ok see you in 5" Quigley responded before hanging up the phone and walking back into the library with his siblings.

          "Who called?" Isadora asked when Quigley returned.
          "Oh, just someone who works with Mother and Father, Just wanting to talk to them. I think he said his name was Count Olaf?" Quigley explained to his siblings.
          "Interesting we know all of the people that work with our parents and his name doesn't ring a bell" Duncan replied.
          "I know it's weird right?" Quigley replied "Oh and I have to tell you guys something"
          "What?" Duncan and Isadora said in unison. This happened a lot. Since they were triplets the siblings tended to have similar thought processes and were constantly saying the same thing at the same time without even thinking about it.
          "So you know how the carpet got wrinkled? Well when I readjusted the carpet I found something underneath" Quigley said, leading his siblings back behind their fathers desk.
          "What did you find?" Duncan asked.
          "See for yourself" Quigley lifted the carpet so they could see the trap door.
          "That looks like a..." Duncan said.
          "Trap door" Quigley quickly cut him off, "yeah it is one and apparently whoever this Count Olaf person is helped Mother and Father build it into the house before we were born"
          "Then why didn't Mother and Father tell us about it?" Isadora asked.
          "I don't know, I guess they were keeping it a secret for some reason." Quigley questioned.
          "We should ask them about it when they come home, see if they will tell us about it," Duncan suggested.
          "Mother and Father won't be back for at least another hour! I'm not gonna wait that long. I'm going down there to investigate" Quigley told them.
          "I don't think that's such a good idea Quigley" Duncan worried.
           "Ugh! Duncan you're such a goody two shoes, you never let me have any fun" Quigley replied, exasperated.
          "Well excuse me for trying to keep my little brother safe" Duncan defended.
          "you're only older by 2 minutes!" Quigley fired back.
          "Fine go down there, but if you get in trouble with Mother and Father, it's not my fault" Duncan said, giving up on the argument. 
          "Would you two quit fighting already! Honestly I'm the youngest triplet but sometimes it feels like I'm just babysitting you two." Isadora said with an eye roll. "Come on Duncan, if Quigley wants to explore the trap door and tunnels, who are we to keep him from doing that? But Quigley, just be back before mom and dad get home or we'll all be in big trouble. I'm tired of taking the fall for you"
          "Whatever" Quigley mumbled as Isadora took Duncan's hand and led him out of the library leaving Quigley on his own once again. He didn't need his siblings' approval. And right now, all Quigley wanted to do was explore the underground tunnels that his parents had apparently kept secret for all 11 years of their lives. He also needed to know more about this strange Count Olaf person. Was he really who he said he was? And if so, why had they never even heard of him before. Their parents were constantly holding parties with their work associates and forcing their children to attend. Yet they had still never even heard of this man.

          Quigley opened the trap door and grabbed onto the ladder underneath while proceeding to close the trap door behind him. After a minute or so he reached the bottom of the ladder and stood there in the dimly lit tunnel not knowing what else to do but to wait for some guy he had never heard of nor met before to approach him.
          About 5 minutes later a tall man with a unibrow and a greasy suit coat approached Quigley.
          "Hello, hello, hello you must be Quigley! My name is Count Olaf" the man said with a flourish. "Now tell me Quigley, have you ever felt left out? or like you didn't fully fit in in your family?"
          "Actually yes, my triplet siblings Isadora and Duncan are totally goody two shoes and never wanna do anything remotely fun. My parents always think they're so great while I'm always in the background cause I'm not a poet or a journalist and I don't always follow the rules 24/7" Quigley told the man.
          "Well then, you're in luck, Quigley. You see, I'm looking for a fellow associate. An assistant if you will. To help me on my greatest mission of all. I, much like you, was not given much attention by my parents unless I did something truly astounding that they would have no choice but to look at me. I would like to ask you if you would like to join me. I promise I will always treat you like you're worthy of my attention and you won't have to become a goody goody like your siblings" the man replied.
          "Really?" Quigley asked, almost hopefully. This was the first time anyone seemed to show a real interest in him, and he didn't know what to do with this added attention.
          "Really, you will get all that and more if you join me and help me with my plans." Count Olaf said.
          "I'll do it, I'm tired of being in my siblings' shadows and feeling worthless. I will join you, where me and my talents will be appreciated." Quigley said.
           "Great choice Quigley! also don't tell your parents or siblings, if they find out they won't let you work with me and you'll be stuck in your siblings shadows for the rest of your life" Count Olaf warned.
          "Got it, don't tell anyone. But wait, how do I contact you?" Quigley asked, curious. Count Olaf slipped him a small piece of paper with a phone number and then swiftly disappeared into the darkness leaving Quigley to head back up to his house.
He felt strange about keeping such a secret from his siblings. Until now, they had always had a pact to tell each other everything. So that they could face everything together. But one small secret couldn't hurt them if they didn't know. It's not like his siblings knew Count Olaf was waiting for him. What was the worst that could happen?

          When he finally emerged from the tunnels, he heard a door open and the voice of his Mother and Father. He quickly closed the door and laid the carpet back over the top neatly, like it had never been touched. Then he moved his maps to the floor so he wouldn't be caught sitting at his fathers desk. Quigley then raced to meet his siblings near the front door, where his parents had just arrived from.
          "Hello you three" Quintin Quagmire, the father of the household spoke to his children.
          "How was your meeting?" Isadora asked.
          "It went relatively well but we're just happy to be home" replied Karen Quagmire, the Mother of the three triplets.
          "Dinner is served," Bertram announced to the family. Then bowed formally.
          "Well we best go eat then" Karen said with a giggle at her children's excitement.

          That night, Quigley couldn't stop thinking about Count Olaf. How would he know if he was making the right decision? I guess he would just have to wait and find out.