The Baudelaires (Unedited)

3: "She's a rebel"

I screamed and fell to my knees.
Father was dead; burnt to a crisp.
Violet and Klaus ran in, Sunny following slowly behind.
I could see the flames through my tears.
"Esme didn't just-" Klaus began to say.
"No." A lady with hair said.
"We did." A man with not hair but a beard said.
The two elderly people stood behind the Baudelaires. I got up and turned around, forgetting to turn off the oven.
"What do you want..?" I asked.
"We just want the spyglass." The lady said.
"It has something very important inside." The man said.
"It's hers." Klaus pointed out, "and what is in there is none of your business unless she wants to share the contents."
"Just give it to us and we will spare your lives and this house." The lady suggested.
"No." I said.
Klaus looked over at me then pointed at the oven, the flames were spreading.
"You were too late," the man informed.
"To save your lives." The lady finished his sentence.
Or are we?
The Lady and the Man left to go and start burning the other rooms.
I looked at Klaus and Violet, "What do we do..?"
"Remember what Quigley said when his house was on fire, his mother put him into a tunnel while the others had to find a way out." Klaus pointed out.
"The VFD tunnels! Like the one under our home!" Violet had a brainwave.
"And the one under the headquarters. Charlotte, your Mother and Father were VFD, correct?" Klaus questioned.
"Yes." I nodded.
"Where's the tunnel they used?" Violet asked.
I got up and looked through each one of the cabinets, pulling everything out. I found it right under the sink.
"Got it." I said.
They ran over to me and managed to open the tunnel up, I looked back for a moment, "what about my brother?"
"It's okay, he'll find us." Klaus reassured.
"O-okay.." I looked at the tunnel, "let's do this..."

I got into the tunnel, the sounds of burning washed away by the sounds of dripping water and me falling into a puddle myself, not realising a ladder was there.
The others came down safely and they closed the cabinet and the tunnel entrance.
We started walking blindly, trying to find something familiar.
"What do we look for?" Violet asked Klaus.
"Just anything familiar, the best we can get is Justice Strouse's house." He replied.
A loud noise was heard from behind us; the tunnel was opening.
"Run!" Violet exclaimed.

We started to run for our lives yet we were trying to keep very quiet. But, sadly, as we all know, it never works out.
We were being followed and I could feel that. The impending doom of being killed today was just as big as it was at the hotel. The fear of failing and slipping over on to the ground was great.
We found a familiar sign I pointed at it.
Olaf.
"No.." Klaus mumbled.
"It might be all we've got, it's not like he's here.." I reassured, "it's that or your house."
I looked at the sign: Baudelaire.
Klaus agreed with me and quickly followed the sign for Olaf.
They knew that if they went to Count Olaf's house they just needed to cross the road to safety.
And all I knew was that I was an orphan now.

Violet managed to open the tight lock on the door by using my spyglass's hot setting. She had her hair tied up so I'll say it was her invention.
We got up out of the tunnel and was greeted by the stink of an old carpet and the rickety noises of an old wooden house.
"Do you want to look around..?" Violet asked Klaus and Sunny.
"Not really.." Klaus admitted, "this place looks like it always does."
"It's ugly..how the hell did Mr Poe think this was good for you?" I questioned, picking up random things.
I started looking through the cupboards until I heard the tunnel open up.
Klaus signalled to go upstairs so we walked up as quietly as we could.

I looked outside and saw Justice Strouse's house. I also found the Baudelaire's sanctuary hanging from the ceiling.
"This is where the pain started, the fire started a while back.." Klaus reminisced.
"I looked inside the sanctuary and found the photo of the parents and the rest of VFD at the lumber mill.
I gave Violet the picture.
Sunny just started to play around on the bed.
"She's only doing that because Count Olaf isn't here." Klaus explained.
"She's a rebel." Violet laughed.
I nodded smiling.
"I guess youre going to have to stay with us.." Klaus said.
"I can always find somebody from VFD to look after me.." I mumbled.
"Think of it as a sleepover." Violet smiled.
"I guess.." I smiled a little.
We cautiously went back downstairs, looking round every corner.
I opened up the front door and we ran across the road before anything could get us.
Violet knocked on Justice Strauss's door with Sunny in her arms.
She opened the door instantly, "oh, Baudelaire's, there you are! And who's this?" Justice Strouse said enthusiastically.
"This is Charlotte Snicket. She is our friend of many talents." Klaus explained.
I smiled at him and held out my hand for Justice Strouse to shake, "They've told me a lot about you."
She shook my hand and smiled, "pleased to meet you, Charlotte. Come on in, everyone!"
I walked into her beautiful home, Klaus walked beside me.
"So, what brings Charlotte over here today, Baudelaires?" Justice Strouse asked.
"You remember the high court disgraces at the hotel's trial?" Klaus questioned.
"Yes?"
"They had just, sadly, burnt down her home and her father.." Violet said, regretfully.
I looked at the ground.
"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Justice Strauss hugged me, "what are you going to do?"
I shrugged, "I'm not sure."

Violet and Klaus started talking about Duncan and Isidora, wondering where they would be.
"I could always go back to Prufrock Prep.." I suggested.
"No way. You're not going back there." Klaus intervened.
I looked back at him, "it may be all I've got unless I want to spend every day looking for VFD members on a tram."
"Anything is better than Prufrock Prep, seriously Charlotte."