The Monster They Think I Am

We were six. When I first laid eyes on her, I fell in love. We were friends but I couldn't take my eyes off her.

As the years went by she grew more beautiful. My father kicked me out at age 20 because I couldn't maintain any relationship he put me in. I couldn't get her out of my head.

The three of us; her, her husband, and I, decided to join a group called VFD. We were trying to figure out what the government was doing.

Two years after she and I had an argument. We stopped speaking until the accident I had arranged for her husband went horribly wrong.

"SHE WASNT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE! YOU SAID SHE WOULND'T!" I screamed at Hannah. She was reapplying white powder to her face.

"I guess she changed her plans. You know how Beatrice was. Always changing her mind." she snapped her compact closed and looked at me sadly. "Sorry Olaf."

The next few days were a blur of whine and crying. Then the phone rang.

"Hello?" I snapped into the receiver.

"Hello. My name is Mr. Poe. It was brought to my attention that you are a relation to Mr and Mrs Baudelaire. Is that correct?"

"Yes." I lied quickly. Maybe they left me what is rightfully mine. I thought.

"Well we have their three children here and they need a place to stay. The will says that they should go to wherever is most convenient. Would you take them?"

I hesitated. what would I do with a teen, a preteen and a toddler? What would she want me to do? "Yes, I will take them." I say into the phone and all at once I knew what I had to do.

Chapter 1 The Meeting

When they arrived the next day I could barley tell they were her children. I don't really remember what happened that day. I know they came and I know I showed them to their room. I think I was still wasted from the night before.

The next few days were uneventful until the day of the play. I had to go out and practice. The rest of the troop was already there. I had left a note telling the orphans to make dinner for the 13 of us.

When practice was over, we pilled into my car and headed to my home. When we got there the orphans were finishing up. I walked into the kitchen to see how it was coming.

As I looked around, I couldn't help noticing how Violet looked. She was tall for her age. With long dark hair that covered her face. She looked so much like her mother.

Violet was stirring the sauce they were making for our dinner and as I looked her up and down her brother Klaus stepped into my line of sight. He looked so much like his father, tall with curly dark hair and a sharp nose to hold up his glasses. He was carrying the baby Sunny.

"How long till dinner is served?" I asked.

"Whenever its done" snapped Klaus. I slapped him hard

"Insolence isn't amusing, Orphan." I growled.

Klaus looked at me stunned, shielding Sunny.

I forced myself to calm down and turned to Violet, the most adult like of the three, and repeated the question.

"It is almost done." She said in a quite voice staring at me warily.

"Thank you." I walked out to enjoy the small group of old friends, and a few new ones. We ate and drank, talked and laughed.

After dinner we trudged though the kitchen and went to perform the play.

The next day I got a call from Mr. Poe about the orphans coming to visit and complaining about me. I forced myself to stay calm and told him what ever I had to to get him off the phone.

The next day I confronted the children and asked them to be in a play. I wasn't planing anything at that time. But when Klaus came to me and accused me of trying to use the play to get my hands on their money, I decide to take his advice. I took Sunny up to the tower and took care of her there to make them think I'm the monster they think I am.

The night of the play came and Violet wasn't very happy to being called my Countess. Everything went well until the end. Violet announced that she wrote her name with her left rather than her right. I was furious! I didn't really care what hand she wrote it with but I had to keep up the pretense of being the monster they think I am.

One of the actors in the troupe moved toward the lights and flipped them off. In the panic that fallowed I ran out to the car and waited for the rest of the troupe to come back. When they did I drove back to the house, packed and went to my parents old house.