Broken - Isadora Quagmire

Chapter Twenty Nine - Laura

"I woke up and shot up in the bed, but I was restraint, with my arms and legs tied down on the bed. I looked around me, I wasn't in the same room as the day before. This room had clowns on the wall. Blood soaked my pillow, a large bandage surrounded my head, I felt dizzy, really dizzy.

Staring right at me were Count Olaf and Esme.

"Where is my brother?" I asked.

"He's... safe" said Esme.

"I don't like-"

"Like the word safe. Yes, we know"

"How?"

"It's in your file that you stole from the Library of Records"

"I was just investigating"

"Maybe that's what you think. But what you've actually done is give us information that we can use to our advantage. For example, we now know that you and your brother and your dead brother are, or were, all afraid of needles" said Esme.

"And all of the Baudelaire's are allergic to peppermints"

"But you already know that!"

"No I don't"

"Yes, you do, the Baudelaire's gave themselves allergic reactions to escape your brunch in the Anxious Clown Restaurant"

"Did they?"

"Yes"

"Really?"

"Yes..."

"Actually?"

"Yes"

"Anyway, we understand you having the Baudelaire files and the Quagmire files, even the Pechman files, but why did you have the Lyons files?" Esme asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Yes, you do"

"No..."

"Look, my patience is wearing thin, I've told you multiple times since we met that I am not stupid!"

"I just found it"

"No, I don't believe that"

"How about you tell us and we won't hurt your brother" said Count Olaf

"You wouldn't"

"Just tell us and you can see your brother again"

"I know that something happened years ago to do with the Lyons family, resulting in them always being frightened and on the edge. It only happened to the three children Emily, Edward and Elizabeth but it affected their father aswell. The children still have nightmares. And you failed. You failed, just like you will now"

An overly dramatic silence came over the room.

"I will not fail. Not this time. Because I've used anagrams to hide you and the other two, not your actual names. I've been unpredictable and I've gotten rid of anyone who gets in my way" he left the room with Esme by his side and locked the door behind them. I took a deep breath and tried to stretch out my detained left arm to grab the file that Count Olaf purposely left where I could see it.

Minutes later, Violet was wheeled in on a gurney identical to mine. They left the room again.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"Duncan and I were split up after we were captured. I don't know what happened to him, I haven't seen him. Have you?"

"No. But they told me that he was safe. What happened to you next?"