Violet Snicket & Klaus Baudelaire - A Train Ride Beneath a Cloudy Sky
The train is old and rickety, and makes a lot of noise as it travels along a track that's equally old and rickety, chugging, huffing, and clanking with such repetition that it becomes almost soothing, something consistent in a world of confusion and uncertainty. The racket did seem irritating at first, but it's grown distant now, something only at the edge of Violet's consciousness as she watches out the window at the world whizzing past and thinks of ways to repair the train so that it wouldn't be so noisy anymore.
Across from her, in the same booth, there is a young man with round glasses and a little girl with bright, inquisitive eyes. The young man is engrossed in a book about steam engines, and the little girl is engrossed in watching Violet as she looks out the window. It's peaceful, really. None of the three have exchanged so much as a word, but the company is amiable in its own way, and makes Violet feel a little less alone.
If she weren't so caught up in thinking about how to fix the train, she would ask their names, but she's inherited something of her mother's introversion, a word which here means "unwillingness to talk to strangers". She isn't shy, not by any means, but she rarely feels inclined to start a conversation unless she has a reason for it. But that may be less introversion and more her way of needing to have a function for everything. She doesn't see the point in things that don't have clear functions. That's her inventor's way of thinking.
That's when the quiet is broken for her, startling her as if there had been no noise at all until the little girl cheerfully chirps, "Hello, what's your name?"
Violet turns to look at the girl, eyes widened and lips parted slightly. "Oh," she says in surprise. She gives a small smile, calming down right away. "Hello. My name is Violet. What's yours?"
"Sunny Baudelaire," the little girl replies, pronouncing her surname very carefully, as if she's proud of it and afraid that her limited linguistic skills will ruin it. She couldn't be more than four, and she's got a smile so sweet that Violet can't help but feel her mood improve just a little on seeing it.
Sunny's companion, most likely her brother, lowers his book at last. He takes a strip of paper from his bag, and marks the page mindfully before closing the book and setting it down in his lap. Now it's possible to get a good look at him, and Violet takes a moment to do just that. He appears to be close enough to her age, with fairly attractive features and light brown eyes that look amber in the evening light.
"Hello," the young man says. "I'm sorry, I was caught up in this book. I should have introduced myself earlier." He offers his hand. "My name is Klaus Baudelaire. I'm Sunny's brother, as you probably guessed. It's a pleasure to meet you- Violet, did you say?"
Violet shakes his hand, still smiling slightly. "Yes, that's right. Violet Snicket."
"Snicket?" Klaus echoes, tilting his head slightly with interest. "That sounds familiar. I can't think of how, though. Have we met before?"
Violet furrows her brow. "No." She answers simply. She thinks that maybe the two have heard of her mother, or her aunt Kit or uncle Jacques. But she would really rather avoid bringing attention to her family if she can help it. And she certainly won't be mentioning her poor mother's name. It's always been just the two of them on the run, as long as Violet can remember.
Even now, she's on her way to meet her. She's been staying for the past four weeks out in the Mortmain Mountains with her Aunt Kit, helping with research on snow gnats and the changing climate. This is the longest Violet ever been away from her mother, except for once when she very small and attended summer camp. Back then, she'd had no idea why they moved so often, or why it was Uncle Jacques who came to pick her up instead of her mother, or why she'd had to stay with him for the next three days.
But she knows now. She knows and she can't let anyone else know. Come to think of it, it might not even be such a good idea to use her real surname, let alone to offer it so freely. Kicking herself a bit- figuratively, of course- Violet decides to try coming up with a fake name the next time somebody asks for it. After all, the next person who asks might not be so nice... Assuming that these two are. Although they don't seem old enough to be enemies of the Snickets, you can't really judge a book from its cover, right? They could be spies or something.
Violet shakes her head. Now she's just being ridiculous, she chides herself. Noticing the odd looks she's getting from the two Baudelaires, she decides to strike up a conversation before either of them can ask what she's thinking about that made her shake her head.
"So, you're interested in steam engines?" Violet asks, gesturing at the book in Klaus's lap.
Klaus glances at it before offering her a smile that, while friendly, seems a bit sad. "Oh, yes. This is our first time taking the train, and I wanted to know more about it. It seemed like the perfect reading for the trip. The book doesn't say anything about why it's so noisy, though. It seems a bit louder than it's supposed to."
"It actually is," Violet replies, glad to be on familiar ground, a phrase which here means "talking about machinery, her favorite subject and area of expertise". She went on, "the engine is very old and hasn't been maintained very well. I could actually tell you more about it, if you'd like."
Klaus seems just as glad for the conversation. "Really? Are you a fan of trains? Or engineering, perhaps?"
"I guess you could say I'm a fan of machines in general," Violet answers. "I'm an inventor."
Klaus smiles again, and it's much brighter and more open this time. "Really? That's very impressive! I'm a researcher myself. Honestly, I want to read about everything I come across."
"I like biting things and cooking," Sunny adds cheerfully.
"Those are interesting hobbies, too," Violet says, addressing both siblings at the same time.
The conversation lifts all three young people's hearts, and as the train carries on into the darkening evening, they begins to feel like friends. Soon Sunny falls asleep against Klaus's side, and Klaus and Violet continue their conversation in hushed tones.
Violet feels a connection with Klaus, and it's a strange but pleasant feeling that wells up in her chest and makes her want the train ride to go on and on so that she can carry on talking to him for the rest of the night, or maybe even longer. Unfortunately, even she can't invent a way to slow down time, but at least she can enjoy Klaus's company as long as she's allowed it.
It's fairly late when the train pulls into the station. The sky is very dark and very cloudy, with no stars or moon visible above the thick fog of the bay, which can be seen from just outside the train station.
Violet and Klaus linger there, the latter carrying his sleeping baby sister, his bag slung over his shoulder, and look out over the cloud-covered water. Violet finds herself reluctant to leave, not only because she has so enjoyed the company but also because the night is so eerie, a word which here means "foggy, starless, and moonless". She doesn't like the prospect of walking through it, especially since she isn't familiar with this area.
Her mother has found a new place for the two of them to live while Violet was away with her Aunt. Violet doesn't resent the move, and she certainly doesn't resent her mother for making it so suddenly, because although it is very frustrating, she knows it was necessary. Besides, they may be on the move a lot, but Violet could never hold it against her mother, knowing that she does her best to see to it she's well cared for. She admires her mother, in fact, because Violet knows she never asked to have a baby, all alone and on the run, but here the brave Snicket woman is trying to give her daughter the best when she can't even piece together a normal life for herself.
Klaus breaks the quiet, which truly could be called quiet this time, and Violet is even more startled than she was on the train.
"So, where are you headed from here?" He asks.
"Oh?" Violet bites her lip as she tries to think of an answer. She wants to see Klaus again, but she doesn't want him to know where she'll be staying, whether it will be for the next few years or the next few weeks. "Where are you headed?" She asks instead of answering.
Klaus turns from the bay to look at Violet instead. They're both bathed in amber light from the train station, soft in the dark and fog of the night. She doesn't quite like the look he gives her, because it isn't a suspicious or untrusting one, but a curious look of intrigue, like her words- or Violet herself- was a puzzle, and he would like nothing more than to solve it.
The intrigue itself isn't the problem; it's that Violet doesn't want to be solved. Snickets can't be solved, or else they might be destroyed. She may not be a part of the world that has made them that way, or the organization for that matter, but she is a Snicket and she knows that it's a truth that applies to her as much as to her mother and her mother's siblings.
"I asked you first," Klaus says. "But I'll go first anyway. We're going to the big house up on the hill. We were supposed to set out earlier, but we were waiting for someone. He wound up cancelling, and we had to go on the next available train, and that's why we're arriving so late."
"Ah, I see." Violet says quietly.
There is a pause then, and it feels a bit overwhelming because of how well they'd been getting along earlier and how comfortably they'd been conversing. Somewhere in the distance, a car can be heard, travelling on the narrow roads that line the hills. It's amazing how well it can be heard, Violet thinks. She wonders where it could be headed, at this hour.
"Is it a secret then, Violet?" Klaus asks at last. "Where you're headed, I mean. You seem to be avoiding the question."
Violet looks down at the ground, suddenly finding the texture of the gravel beneath her feet to be quite fascinating. "It... I don't know if it's safe for anyone to know." She admits. She's this far in, so it doesn't seem wrong to tell him that much. But no more than that.
"That's alright," Klaus says gently. "I suppose we'll be neighbors, though, so at least we'll get to see each other again."
Violet looks up at his face again, and sees no judgement there, no further attempts to solve her puzzle. It's a strange feeling that suddenly rises in her chest, not unlike the feeling she'd had earlier, making her want to spend time with the young man and get to know him better. But this one is warmer, and reminds her a little of the feeling of being six years old at summer camp, and not thinking there was anything to hide or anyone to hide it from.
"I hope so," Violet says. "Maybe I can come and visit you." She gives a small smile. "Goodnight, Klaus."
"Goodnight, Violet," Klaus says warmly.
They linger just a little longer. Then, feeling a little impulsive, Violet gives Klaus a kiss on the cheek before heading bravely into the fog to find the place where she'll be living, her chest warm and her belly fluttering. It's a strange feeling, and one she finds she likes very much.