saudade - Klaus Baudelaire x Fem! reader

Chapter Two

Y / N  P O V

"Then why are you here?" Klaus asked.

"Well, I was taken from my home when I was three. I never knew who my parents were, and I don't know my last name so I wouldn't be able to find them if I tried to," I said. It wasn't really a lie, I just hadn't told them that Count Olaf was the one who took me.

"How long have you been here then?"

"Since I was three. It didn't take them very long to put me with Count Olaf, even though we're not related." A half-lie. Count Olaf had told me we weren't related, but of course, it wasn't the authorities who put me here.

"I've never seen you before, do you not go out much?" Violet questioned.

"Oh, I'm not allowed to go anywhere." I replied.

"Then how is your hair cut so neatly?"

"When Olaf is done with things, he gives them to me to throw out. I usually look through them to see if there's anything useful, since he often throws away perfectly good things. He also has a small library, so I can usually find books on how to use things. I one time found a pair of scissors and a book on cutting hair. I've gotten better at it over time. I usually make my clothes or extra blankets with old costumes and a bunch of parts that I put together to make a sewing machine."

"Aehagya," Sunny chimed in.

"My sister means to say that that's very clever," Violet spoke.

I smiled. "We better get to our chores so we can finish them before dinner."

T I M E S K I P

We had just finished our chores. We came into the bedroom and sat on the bed. Klaus looked at the disgusting toothbrush in his hand that Count Olaf had forced him to clean with.

"I never want to use a toothbrush again," he said.

I let out a small laugh and opened my mouth to talk but got cut off by Count Olaf bursting in. We all jumped and stood up.

"Why aren't you cleaning? My list was very specific," he demanded.

"We finished it," Violet replied.

Olaf snatched the list from Klaus' hands and checked to see all the items marked off.

"No, you didn't," he said, scribbling on the back. "You missed one. You still have to prepare a large meal for myself and my theater troupe."

"We don't know how to prepare a large dinner."

"Plan the menu, purchase the ingredients, prepare the food, set the table, serve dinner, clean up afterward, and stay out of our way."

"How can we purchase anything? We don't have any money," Klaus pointed out.

Count Olaf took a small bag of coins out of his pocket and threw them at Violet.

"Now, quick, get a move on. The troupe will be here at seven," said Olaf.

"Yuiaow," said Sunny. This time, I understood that what she meant was "that was dismaying."

"Y/n, does the library you find your books in have any cookbooks?" Violet questioned.

"It's had plenty of books that have helped me get through my time here, there's got to be something like that in there," I replied, smiling, then stood up and led them to the library.

A N O T H E R  T I M E S K I P

I opened the dining room doors for Violet, Klaus, and Sunny since none of them had free hands.

"Dinner is served," said Klaus.

"As I was saying, before the help interrupted, there is no 'I' in acting. No selfish urges, no arrogance, no ego, no vanity..." Count Olaf went on as we dished out the food.

Of course, he stopped when we got to him.

"Where's the roast beef?" he demanded.

"What?" Violet questioned.

"The roast beef."

"We didn't make any roast beef, we made puttanesca sauce."

"And homemade pasta," Klaus added.

"What? No roast beef?" Olaf spat.

"You didn't tell us you wanted roast beef."

Oh god, this is escalating quickly, I thought.

"Look at my guests! They can hardly touch this revolting foreign food!"

Olaf continued rambling to the Baudelaires and I hid in the corner. He even snatched Sunny out of Violet's arms and held her over the table. He held her there for about a minute, but the anxiety growing in the pit of my stomach made it seem like an hour.

He finally put her down on top of a plate of fruit and slid her down the table. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I opened my eyes and Olaf was saying something about recycling.

"...and then you are to go straight to your beds," he directed.

"You mean our bed?" Klaus countered, "You've only provided us with one bed."

He had really irritated him now. This was not going to end well.

"If you want another bed, tomorrow you may go into town and purchase one."

"You know perfectly well we haven't any money."

"Of course you do. You three lucky orphans are inheriting an enormous fortune."

I watched the situation in front of me unfold intensely. I found myself unable to do anything about it, paralyzed by fear.

"The money our parents left behind is not to be used until Violet-"

SMACK

The next thing I knew, Klaus was on the floor with a hand on his cheek and Olaf was breathing heavily in anger. Violet and I rushed to his side. She asked if he was okay while I moved his hand away and examined the wound for myself. It was bright red.

Olaf's troupe left. I put my hand on Klaus' cheek. It seemed to redden outside of the wound and on the other side of his face when I did. I noticed this, but decided not to say anything. I stroked the wound with my thumb and Klaus hissed. I took my hand away and went to grab an ice pack.

On my way out, I heard Klaus speak. "This isn't."

"What?" Violet asked, confused.

"Better than nothing."