They're not coming back this time. They're dead.
It took everything Violet had not to break just then. But she had to be strong – she had to be. Klaus needed her. Sunny needed her. Violet was the eldest Baudelaire, and she had a responsibility. She had to hold it together. As much as she wanted to break down into tears in her brother's arms, as much as she wanted to let out all the emotions swirling around inside her out, she couldn't. She would never truly be able to let go with her younger brother and sister around. Fourteen years had taught her as much.
But those two words were two words which she hated. They're dead. Over and over she heard them, inside her head as well as in the real world. Trying to let herself see the truth, but having an internal battle; Violet didn't want to believe they were dead. They were her parents! Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire, the two people she loved most in the world. She hated to think that she would never see them again. Violet began to remember the good times – hundreds and hundreds of memories, dating back from when she was Sunny's age, right up until those precious days before they... Before the fire.
She snapped out of her reverie before she lost control completely. She could find no words no reply to her brother, but her mouth said something it hoped would comfort him. Afterwards, she could never remember what, but she knew it had lifted both of their hearts, just a tiny little bit.
Then they focussed on their younger sister, in an attempt to distract themselves. To their surprise, it worked – Sunny's high pitched giggles were contagious, and the silhouettes of their parents comforted them, reminding them of some long ago camping trip.
When Sunny finally fell asleep in Violet's arms, the eldest Baudelaire smiled a little. Despite the fact that their parents were dead, despite the fact that they were living in an old smelly house with the evil Count Olaf, despite everything, the three of them were together, and no matter where they were, Violet knew that if they were together, they would always be home.
Sorry it's very short. If you want to read something good, go check out Tabithatibi's work. Thanks, Tabs, for persuading me to publish this, and keep being awesome!
Thanks for reading!
~ Em!