(A/N: So. My first fanfic in almost two years. Wow. That's all I can say. I hope to God that it's better than my other ones, but then again, I haven't written any fics in a while, so I'm probably a little rusty. Anyway, enjoy!)

One Last Look

By: Mam'zelle Guillotine

The atmosphere of Briny Beach hadn't changed much.

Violet shuddered as a gust of wind blew and tugged at her coat. It was cold, it was cloudy, and the water was choppy. Overall, it reminded her of that fateful day when she and her siblings had received news of the fire.

Had it really been so long ago? It certainly didn't feel like it. Violet slid her ribbon through her fingers and closed her eyes as the memories flooded her mind.

It was a dreary morning. Their parents had almost pushed them out of the house, talking of "important business" they had to attend to.

They had known something was going to happen, hadn't they?

Not that it particularly mattered, now…

The children had ridden the trolley all the way to Briny Beach, where, not an hour later, they'd received the news. A week later, they'd gone to live with the later notorious—and now deceased—Count Olaf.

"As our guardian," Violet whispered bitterly, "the greatest role he ever played."

"Wrong," came a dreaded, familiar voice from behind her. "The greatest role I ever played was that of Sir Percy Blakeney, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Further proof that you don't know everything, Violet. You never will."

Violet turned around and searched for the source of Count Olaf's voice. There! She spotted a distinct shape through the fog that vaguely resembled Olaf's thin, spidery frame.

"Why are you here?" She asked in a thin, shaky voice.

"I promised I'd find you, didn't I? No matter what you did, no matter where you went?"

"But you're dead! I watched you die!"

Olaf let out a chuckle. "You really thing death stops a promise like that?"

Violet's breath caught in her throat. She was speechless.

She turned back to the sea and sighed. "Why did all this happen?"

"The schism, of course."

"What was the schism over? Besides the sugar bowl…"

"Oh, please. You really think you're going to get all that out of me?"

"Please, just—" Violet turned back around, and the shadow was gone.

She shook her head as another gust of wind blew the ribbon out of her hand. She knew she had just had a conversation with that man… hadn't she?

Had she dreamed it?

Was it real?

Would Olaf's ghost really torment the siblings forever?

What, exactly, was so important about the sugar bowl to cause the schism?

What side had her parents been on?

So many questions Violet had, so many answers she needed.

A strange sort of peace came over Violet as she realized that she would probably never go back to Briny Beach again. After all, she would have to go places to get her answers.

And going places meant leaving other places behind.

With one last look at the horizon beyond the choppy waves, Violet turned to leave Briny Beach for good. But as she was walking away, a final thought crossed her mind:

The world is quiet here.