The Baudelaires (Unedited)

chapter eighteen

An hour later
The town was getting closer, like it did when we were trying to go home.
We didn't know why they were going to Dark Avenue, but we headed there anyway.
"Are you worried?" Klaus asked.
"No, why?"
"Shoulders are up, you're breathing fast."
"Oh?"
"Yep. If you are, everything is going to be fine."
"I know."
"Good."
I laughed, "are you worried?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Confidence."
"Here we go.." I laughed.
"At least read it one more time."
"No way, Klaus. It's a bad book."
"There can never be a bad book, what are you talking about!"
"There's always one exception, and that is psychology and confidence."
"Psychology, I understand, but what's the deal with Confidence? It's good."
"For you."
"For me?"
"I lose it a bit when I'm confident."
"And why's that?"
"I get a bit full of myself."
"Same here, but maybe not on the level where I would never want to be confident again."
"Maybe so."
He smiled.
We had gotten into the town, from this point I didn't know where Dark Avenue was and whether they were heading for 667.
"There," Klaus pointed at the sign, "Dark Avenue."
We followed and found the cab just where we'd thought it'd be.
667 Dark Avenue.

We climbed the long staircase, bored to go in the elevator.
Elevators may have been in but we didn't care.
We knocked on the penthouse door, a Denouement brother opened it up.
"Snicket, Baudelaire." Frank smiled, "good timing."
"Why are you all here?" Klaus questioned, letting go of my hand.
"Hiding out." He replied, "the hotel was burnt down again."
"Oh." I sighed.
"What happened to you both?"
"They left us at the top of Mount Fraught and put the Meducoid Myselium on a piece of tape that Charlotte had over her mouth. We used half a sugar cube to sort it out." Klaus explained.
"Good work for getting out alive, nobody ever escapes the duo." Frank congratulated.
I walked into the penthouse, looking at the ersatz elevator before going in, and started looking for the others. Checking every room.
"Charlotte?" Violet shouted from behind me.
I turned around and was hugged.
"Hey, Violet." I smiled.
She let go, "where's Klaus?"
"At the door." I informed.
She ran straight away.
I followed, picking up Beatrice, smiling.
I walked over to Frank and whispered, "they have more Meducoid Myselium."
"How? I thought all of it was released on the island."
"They went back underneath the lighthouse; into the grotto."
"It sounds impossible."
"The duo did it."
"True. But, it is unlikely that they'd go underwater for some fungi."
"Frank, it's a deadly fungus, it could wipe out cities in merely hours, maybe minutes. It's a big deal for them."
He sighed, "maybe that is true."
"Klaus said that half a sugar cube wouldn't be enough, only keeping me from being poisoned for a year maybe."
"Half a sugar cube only lasts twelve hours, the whole one lasts a lifetime; a full antidote."
"Should I take another?"
"Yes, Charlotte."

I ran over to the room they put my bag in and quickly ate a full sugar cube. It tasted bitter.
Klaus walked in, "what're you doing?"
"Frank said it was a good idea to eat a full cube."
"Oh, right."
I got up and turned around, looking through the things in the room; I had never been here despite Esme being part of our side, and family.
Klaus was flicking through diaries left over.
"Life is a conundrum of esoterica." Klaus mumbled, looking at the front page of a book,"Uncle Monty used to say that."
"That was the word that was missing."
"Esoterica means knowledge."
"I know what esoterica means." I laughed.
"Smarter than I thought."
"I read books Klaus."
"I know."
"Then why did you say that?"
"It's a very unused word."
"Doesn't mean I don't know it."
He smiled as I opened a gigantic wardrobe.
"Spyglasses." I smiled, all of the shelves had intricately placed spyglasses on them, mostly from big names in VFD, "Uncle Monty...Josephine...Olivia Caliban..."
"Olivia Caliban?"
"Yeah, somehow her spyglass got here."
Klaus picked it up carefully, "somehow."
"I never knew she had a spyglass."
"Jacques employed her."
"Wow, he's fast going."
"I don't think he was."
"He loved her."
"Doesn't mean it was fast going."
"He must've thought it was romantic."
"Probably."
I took out my spyglass, "why does my one have different numbers and codes on it, but their's don't?"
"Different things for different members, maybe."
"Seems strange for that to be the case, Klaus. Jacques would be in my section technically. Most Snickets would."
"Why?"
"Books, codes."
"Oh."
I smiled, "you didn't know that?"
"Obviously not."
I laughed.
He laughed afterward.

I sat down on the sofa, looking out the gigantic window, "wow."
Frank was looking through his book: What to do in situations when running from Evil
I was tired, the sun was finally setting.
"What do we do?" Violet asked Frank.
He replied, "I'm not sure."
"Find someone." Klaus suggested.
"I don't think that there is anyone left."
I sighed, "are we the only ones left?"
"Likely." Frank answered regretfully.
"Perfect." I looked away, back at the wide window.
"Maybe someone." Klaus said, "Counting the Quagmires."
"It would be nice to see them again." Quigley sighed.
Klaus looked awkward.
Frank then informed, "the bubbles burst."
"What?" We all turned and looked at him.
"The balloons." Frank sighed.
Quigley then stared at him, hoping it wasn't true, "no."
"Duncan." Violet teared up.
"Isidora." Klaus mumbled.
"They're gone?" Quigley asked beginning to cry.
Frank nodded slowly, "I'm sorry to say, that was the bad news."
Klaus hugged me, I hugged back, he was crying as much as everybody else was.
I was tearing up, I couldn't cry.
"Don't ever go in a self sustaining hot air mobile home, Charlotte. I mean it." Klaus whispered.
"I won't, Klaus. I promise."
"Thank you." He sighed.