Takes place in the first book, when the Baudelaires are first orphaned and brought to Count Olaf. This might be a bit confusing, but the first break is just like a little prologue, and the second part is before the wedding (the scene in the movie where we see them doing housework for Olaf), the third part is at the wedding (when Klaus is trapped in the attic watching the wedding), The fourth part is the night after the chore montage, and the final part takes place a few days after Violet and Olaf's wedding.
I'm sorry it's so confusing! xx.
There were many times Klaus found his sister beautiful, and each time involved a single black ribbon in her hair, a ribbon that still smelled of their old home, the way they used to live.
She tied her hair back when she was thinking, she always has. Lately, however, Klaus was noticing just how often his beautiful sister thought.
Maybe it was just the death of their parents, so sudden and uncalled for. No child really expects their parents are going to die anyways, not at such a young age. But it was an accident, that's what Mr. Poe said, and that was probably the only thing Mr. Poe had ever been right about concerning the Baudelaire children.
there was a sudden silence in the room as everyone turned to look at Violet, for she had stopped washing the dishes to stare out the window. Klaus didn't realize he was staring at her until he felt a tug on the bottom of his pants; sunny was trying to get his attention. She mumbled a course of words that Klaus translated to 'what's wrong with Violet?' and then grabbed her brother's hand tightly.
"Violet, are you alright?" Klaus said, his voice squeaky with nervousness.
"Are we a tragedy, Klaus?" She said, continuing to stare out the window as she tied her hair back with that same black ribbon she'd had since she was younger than Sunny is now.
"I suppose we are, Violet. I mean, Mr. Poe says we're a tragedy."
"Mr. Poe's often wrong." Violet said, her voice curious and unchanging. "But Shakespeare writes tragedies, doesn't he? And in all his tragedies the main characters go through many tough times and heartaches."
"Yes, that's true. Well, Shakespeare also wrote comedies, but-"
"If we're the main characters of a tragedy, well then we've had our heartache and this is our tough time, right?"
"i suppose..."
"Well then next, next we die, Klaus."
The next time Klaus found his sister beautiful was at the wedding.
It wasn't something she said or did, and it certainly couldn't have been the way she looked. She was in that stage wedding dress, so obviously too large for her petite frame, and her hair was down, clouding around her face.
She hadn't made a move to tie it up yet, and maybe she had given up thinking for good. After all, in a marriage as mindless as this was destined to be, it was better to not think about all the things that are going to hurt you anyways.
But that was alright with Klaus, for when his sister gave up hope he was always determined to be her lighthouse, offering a way home in the darkness.
When she was out of ideas, that's when he would begin to have his, when he would take care of her like he promised his parents he would.
Even though he was the little brother, he was big enough to protect his sisters.
It was sick and wrong and twisted on so many levels, that she should love either man, but of course, she had no real choice.
In her eyes, Klaus was still her little brother, too young and too vulnerable to take care of everyone, to protect them. But still, Violet, unbeknownst to her siblings, had wanted nothing more than protection for all of them-a protection that fifteen year old Violet could not offer, though she hated to admit it.
And so here she found herself, the night after she had her conversation about Shakespearean tragedies with Klaus, standing in front of Olaf's closed door. The oldest Baudelaire took a deep breath, and then knocked twice.
Count Olaf was complaining as he answered his door, a scowl on his face; it turned into curiosity once he discovered who was calling on him at this late hour.
"Violet?" his voice was curious, but not threatening. The girl nodded solemnly. "Come in."
he sat down on his bed and patted a spot for Violet right next to him.
"I need you to do something for me, Olaf."
"What!" he scoffed, his scowl returning. "is taking in you children not enough!"
His mouth opened once more, and Violet was worried he would go on another theatrical rant and she would lose her courage, so her words came out jumbled and fast.
"I need you to protect us."
Olaf's unibrow furrowed together even more and he gestured for her to continue.
"What happened to my parents was no accident, that was plain enough-even if Mr. Poe and the police couldn't see it. My parent's weren't faultless people and they were very well-known in the city, it's not improbable that they were victims of arson." Olaf swallowed nervously, worried that if this plain child could see what he had done, someone important might. Still, at least she had no idea it was him who started the fire. "I'm worried that whoever did this, they might come back for us when they find out we're alive. I don't want my siblings hurt, I want them to be normal, don't you understand?"
Violet's eyes were wide like saucers, they contained so much pain that it almost hurt Olaf to look at them.
"i'll do anything you want me to," she continued, gathering the courage to look him sincerely in the eyes. "If you take care of Sunny and Klaus the right way. Send them to school, feed them right..."
"And as for you, Miss Baudelaire?"
"I'll do all the housework, the cooking, the cleaning. I'll wait on you hand and foot if you want me too-really, I will!" She cried, shocked that her plan had worked as well as it had. "I'll do everything you ask of me, I swear."
"Marry me, Violet."
"Yes," She nodded, biting her lip nervously.
"That was an order, not a proposal."
The last time Klaus remembers being twelve years old and looking at his sister like she was the most beautiful thing in the world was the day she walked the two of them to school the first time.
After the marriage, Olaf inherited the Baudelaire's fortune, much to Klaus' dismay. But it wasn't all bad, the children had a new wardrobe, and it seemed that Klaus and Sunny would be attending school-living like normal children now. After Violet moved into Olaf's bedroom, Klaus and Sunny had only grown closer as well.
Today the three children walked the block and a half to school, Klaus and Sunny holding hands while Violet walked behind them. Sunny squeezed Klaus' hand to get his attention and gave him a look that read 'why isn't Violet coming?"
"Violet, why can't you go to school as well? You're only fifteen, anyways."
"Someone has to do the housework, Klaus." she said, though she did look rather happy about it.
In fact, ever since the marriage three weeks ago, Violet was looking suspiciously happy-it was as if she enjoyed having Olaf as her husband!
As you know, children of course are infamous for speaking the obvious, even if it is a terrible truth, and Sunny let out a stream of letters Violet and Klaus translated as 'do you like being married to Olaf?!'
"Why of course not! But we didn't have another choice, now did we? When you're an adult you'll-"
"But you're not an adult, you're fifteen, Violet!" Klaus said, picking up Sunny and putting her on his hip. "i can't believe you, picking him over us!"
"I'm not picking sides!" She grabbed Klaus by the shoulders. "Look, Olaf swore that if I did this he'd give you back your childhood, alright? He swore he'd take care of us, and isn't that what he's doing right now? Sunny, you're room is full of rubber toys you can chew on, and Klaus, he's sending you to school for God's sake, isn't that what you love, learning? Can't you see I'm doing what's best for you, for all of us?"
Klaus scowled, shifting Sunny on his hip.
"Now's your chance, Violet. Come run away with us, or go back to him." Klaus said, and even Sunny was giving her a pleading look.
Violet looked around, biting her lip, and Klaus realized that was the last time he had ever seen her look so beautiful and so heartwrenchingly ugly at the same time. Her pale skin and big brown eyes remained the same, and her new dress fit her well. It was more revealing, of course, than Klaus would have liked (mostly because he's usually seeing her in the ankle-length things Mr. Baudelaire allowed) but that's only because she's married now and Olaf likes those kinds of things.
Of course, Olaf liked seeing the up and down rhythm of her breasts and she scrubbed the floors on her hands and knees, the swing of her hips when she walked away from him, the outline of her rear when she tended the fireplace. Olaf liked those things, but Klaus would never admit that he liked them too.
Violet turned to him, her eyes cloudy and confused.
"I'd run away with you, I really would, but I've left my ribbon at home and I can't just leave it, you know that."
Klaus sighed and Sunny gave Violet a mean look as the two of them turned and walked right passed the school, heading straight for the bus station.
The three Baudelaire orphans had become two, and all over the simple wish for a little black ribbon that still contained the smell of a home, a home that was now reduced to an empty pile of ashes.