The Quagmires

Chapter 11: The Accommodating Allies

Being desperate to achieve something is not much of a pleasant feeling, but that was exactly how the Quagmire triplets felt towards helping their friends. They were desperate to assist the Baudelaires in any way possible. You might think that these orphans will escape this treacherous school and horrid villain and live a happy life together, but that's not how the story goes.

The Quagmires were elaborating different ways they can help the Baudelaires in their tiny broom closet.

"Isadora, do you have any ideas?" asked Duncan, as he began to bite through his pear.

"No. I mean we already suggested running away. We also said we could look for that book."

"The book! We don't have to go to the exercise program. Maybe Ms. Olivia can help us get it."

"Good idea."

Duncan and Isadora left their pears on a small table they had assembled a few days ago and exited their closet. They walked towards the library until they finally saw Ms. Olivia closing the library doors. 

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

"We know it's after hours," stated Isadora, "But were you able to find that book?"

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

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

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

"Who dares not be in the auditorium for my recital?" yelled a voice from behind the triplets. The Quagmires had completely forgotten about vice principal Nero's nightly violin recitals. Now, they were forced to attend it. In fact, they always were.

"Vice principal Nero, the children just had a question about the library," defended the librarian. 

"The library is closed until further notice by order of the gym teacher." He lifted up a 'CLOSED' sign that had the words 'by order of the gym teacher' handwritten on the bottom of it and handed it to Ms. Olivia.

"He can't close the library," she defended.

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

"We're not twins," stated Isadora, feeling as if this is the hundredth time she had to tell him. Duncan began to explain the usual but couldn't continue his sentence.

"Our brother Quigley-"

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

Olivia sighed as she looked at the sad triplets. Isadora nodded her head in pain and Duncan kept frowning, his face pointed to the ground. The triplets couldn't say anything, and so they sped up to the tormenting violin recital. 

That night was a miserable one. Not only to the Baudelaires, who were forced to run laps all night, neither just to the students of Prufrock Prep, who had to endure vice principal Nero's so-called talents, nor was it just a miserable night for a certain someone in a certain taxi. It was also a miserable night for the Quagmires, who didn't only have to endure the untalented violin playing and the insults to Quigley's memory, but were also forced to sit down in a dark theater as their friends were suffering from Count Olaf's Special Orphans Running Exercise.