The Baudelaires (Unedited)

7: "Murderer."

I looked at the yellow and black cab that rolled down the road, like a beacon of hope in the tsunami of rain.
Tommo finally got up, taking out his spyglass, seeing who was in the cab, "it's Jacqueline."
I looked at Violet, Klaus and Sunny one by one, seeing their either depressed faces or hopeful faces.
I looked at the cab, "that doesn't... look like Jacqueline..."
"Charlotte, you haven't seen her for a while." Tommo said, defending his statement.

"No, she's right. That's not Jacqueline." Klaus agreed, "looks more like...a Denoument brother!"
"Klaus, we can't go anywhere we might just have to take a ride with the lions for a bit.." Violet suggested.
"Tommo thought a Denouement brother was Jacqueline..." I giggled slightly.
"It could be Earnest. We could literally be jumping into a pool of sharks." Klaus said.
"Or it could be Frank, it's worth a try Klaus." Violet reassured.

We got into the cab, me and Klaus sitting in the boot, Beatrice and Sunny in the back and Violet in the front.
"Frank or Earnest?" Violet questioned.
"Good question." He replied, cryptically.
"What's the catchphrase?"
"The world is quiet here."
"Signal?"
He did the signal for VFD, the one that Larry your waiter would always do.
"Violet, everybody knows that sign, no matter what side they're on." Klaus pointed out.
Violet thought of that for a moment, when the man finally said, "hello Baudelaires...Snicket..I'm Ernest, I am sorry to say."
"Wrong cab..." I mumbled, looking at the ground.
"Jacqueline was forced to give me the address of Justice Strauss's home, so I had to...eliminate each person that helped you. Including Jacqueline." He explained.
I burst out crying, trying to get to the front. To slap him in the face, maybe even commit a crime myself.

Klaus grabbed on to me, probably fighting his own urges too.
I stared at Violet as Sunny said, "Murderer."
"Now, I'm going to take you up to Prufrock Prep and you better stay there." Earnest said, "or Frank will get it even if he is my brother."
I looked at Klaus briefly, tears streaming down my face.
Klaus looked back at me, not crying as hard, but crying nonetheless.
"Quigley..." Klaus mumbled under hsi breath, "he could be there..."
"That's very unlike-"
"Charlotte, he only turned up, as Justice Strauss said, on the tram as she looked for us. He could be anywhere."
"I know, but Prufrock Prep might be a stretch for a VFD member."
"But, he's a Quagmire."
I went silent.
"Duncan and Isidora could easily be there too." Klaus hoped.
"I guess so...but they're up in the air." I pointed up as I spoke.
"They could come do-"
"But do you think the man they're with would allow that? He would probably be scared of being flagged down."
He went quiet and so did I, sighing.
I got out my spyglass, turning the slides, trying to find a way to distract Earnest, but it felt impossible trying to find a combination that worked.
"What are you doing..." Klaus mumbled.
"Finding a way to distract the driver." I mumbled.
He grabbed my spyglass, "I think I know something."
I let him play with the slides, the continuous clicking made it harder to do, as if this was a life or death situation anyway.
Klaus hadn't found the combination he was looking for, "the light coming from the lense made Esme find us earlier didn't it?"
I nodded, "I don't know the combination for that."

3 hours later
We were sleeping, it was dark now, and Earnest still wasn't at Prufrock Prep.
I jolted awake as I realised it was dark outside, we were in the middle of nowhere, just endless fields flying by. I tried.not to wake Klaus or anyone else up.
I was still holding on to Klaus as that is how we had fallen asleep, me lying on top of him.
I stared out the window for hours with my hourglass, hoping something different would just pop up- Prufrock Prep.
I looked at the familiar hell of a school and woke Klaus up, unhappily.
He adjusted his glasses and sighed, "perfect."
"I'm sorry for waking you up." I apologised.
"No, it's the school...great to see it again..."
"O-oh.." I sighed as Earnest opened up the boot, letting us out, yet we didn't move a muscle.
"It's this or Mortmain Mountains. Specifically, Mount Fraught." He warned and pushed us out.
I got up backing off, afraid slightly.
Klaus pulled Violet out, who woke up with a jolt. I got Beatrice and Sunny out.
Violet picked up Sunny as I picked up Beatrice and we walked to the familiar entrance to the gigantic boarding school.
"Just say Earnest Denoument sent you." He said as he got back into his cab and drove off.

"We can either walk to hell or we could find a way back." Klaus suggested.
"But back where?" Violet questioned, "it's not like we have anywhere to go."
"I guess we have to sit around and wait..." I sighed, "I'll take the shack."
"No way-" Klaus disagreed.
"Not like I have a choice or anything, I don't mind.." I smiled as I opened the front gate.

We walked slowly but surely on to the Prep's grounds, Beatrice playing with my hair, her bonnet coming off.
Klaus carried, the one book he kept, in his hand, the other holding Sunny's left hand as Violet held the other.
I sighed as I saw the familiar Vice Principal Nero.