Disclaimer: I do not own A Series of Unfortunate Events.
August 28, 198510:00 PM PDT
Seventeen-year-old Quigley Quagmire was feeling so restless - as he lay in bed next to his eighteen-year-old girlfriend, Violet Baudelaire. It was sure hard to believe that they'd be returning to school tomorrow, which made him feel a little apprehensive.
The Quagmires and the Baudelaires have been living in Hill Valley for just a little over two years, and they've managed to make a lot of friends. The last instance of arson took place way back in 1972, so the group felt it relatively safe to live in the city.
There were seven people in the house. Quigley had a brother named Duncan, and a sister named Isadora - and they were triplets. Klaus, Violet's younger brother, really was mature at sixteen years old. Sunny, Violet's younger sister, was five years old - and she barely remembered the series of unfortunate events of three years ago.
The youngest member of the household was Beatrice Baudelaire, who was only three years old, was actually the daughter of Kit Snicket. Kit had been infected with a quite deadly virus, called Medusoid Mycelium - and it had very tragically taken her life. As a result, the Baudelaires had rather taken it upon themselves to raise young Beatrice.
Quigley thought of how he and Violet have lived together for over two years, even though they've really met over a year before that. He thought of how Isadora was dating Klaus, and it'd be very neat for the four of them to have a double wedding.
Duncan was dating a girl named Jennifer Parker. Quigley sure sighed with envy, as he thought of how both of Jennifer's parents were still alive. There was a point when the Baudelaires figured that one of their parents were still alive, but that turned out to be a false alarm. At any rate, it was actually fortunate that the orphans had each other.
Quigley then thought of how he'd be entering the twelfth grade, and how this would probably be his last year of school. Even though Mr. Strickland was a stern man who wasn't very fond of children, he wasn't quite as bad as Vice Principal Nero had been.
Even though Quigley was lucky enough to never have to attend Prufrock Preparatory School, he actually heard all kinds of horror stories about the boarding school from his siblings and the Baudelaires - and how the school wasn't exactly real orphan friendly.
As Violet went for about two years without having much of an education, except for the brief time at Prufrock Preparatory School, she was actually in the same grade as the Quagmire triplets. She really was skilled at math, and it was one of her favourite subjects. Reading, on the other hand, was never exactly one of her strong points.
Klaus, on the other hand, was sure fond of reading - so he was quite above average for his age. The only subject he wasn't very skilled in was math. Even though he was actually in the same boat as Violet, he was also going to enter the twelfth grade.
Quigley's thoughts then turned to Sunny. She was going to be starting kindergarten - and she was quite nervous about starting school. Likewise, Beatrice was real nervous about attending preschool. Still, Quigley really couldn't help but think about how lucky Sunny and Beatrice were. After all, they didn't have to do any tough assignments.
Of course, geography was always Quigley's best subject - as he had always been real fond of drawing maps. History was Duncan's best subject, as he rather had dreams of being a journalist. Poetry was Isadora's specialty, and she enjoyed writing couplets.
The Baudelaires were extraordinarily gifted. Violet was the inventer - and she always tied her hair up into a ribbon, whenever she planned to invent anything. Klaus rather had a passion for books, which sometimes really helped Violet with her inventions.
Sunny was a very skilled cook, which was one talent that the elder Baudelaires really lacked. As a result, she usually prepared the meals for the family. When she was still just a tiny baby, she had very strong teeth - and she rather loved to bite. However, her love for biting had pretty much been entirely replaced with her love for cooking.
As with Violet, math was also Quigley's strong subject. However, he didn't share his brother's love for writing - so he never was especially real fond of writing reports or essays. He wanted to write a report on the VFD last year, but that wasn't allowed.
He realized it was better to think positively. Even though Mr. Strickland had a habit of calling everyone "slackers", his punishments were relatively fair - even though he just looked for every excuse to give out detentions. It sure seemed mild, in comparison to the food-related punishments that Vice Principal Nero used to punish the students.
The Quagmires and the Baudelaires also had plenty of friends - and a lot of the girls in school believed Quigley and Duncan to be so cute, even if they really were short. The boys had medium-length brown hair and slate-blue eyes. Isadora had the same shade of hair as her brothers - but she had brown eyes, and she was two inches shorter.
Isadora was the spitting image of their mother, Lorraine Baines. Quigley and Duncan did sort of resemble their father, Rupert Quagmire - although they sure more closely resembled their great-grandfather, William McFly. William was born 100 years ago.
One of the major reasons why the group decided to move to Hill Valley, was because the Quagmires really had a big history in the city. Their mother's family had moved to Hill Valley in 1947, and Lorraine had developed a very close relationship with Rupert.
William's daughter, Alice, met Theodore Quagmire back in 1925. While his family was extremely rich, they really weren't snobbish at all. Theodore and Alice actually fell in love at first sight. Alice's younger brother, Arthur, was only fourteen - when he had been devoured by Lachrymose Leeches. Alice was always grieved by that incident.
His thoughts turned to Prufrock Preparatory School, as he thought of how his siblings and the Baudelaires never had many friends. The other students either quite actively ridiculed the orphans, or just simply avoided them - perhaps because they were quite afraid that they might also be tormented by the the school snob, Carmelita Spats.
Granted, they had bullies like Douglas Needles and Miff Tannen to contend with. The boys were always harassing Violet and Isadora. Quigley and Duncan were always so dedicated to defending the other kids at school from being bullied by them, as well.
Miff's father, Count Biff, was actually the nastiest person in the city of Hill Valley. He sure wasn't as scary as Count Olaf, though - who was after the Baudelaires' fortune and Quagmires' sapphires. He had died back on the island three years ago, though.
Still, he knew the stories of how Count Biff used to harass his mother. When Rupert had rescued Lorraine from being taken advantage of, it was then that Lorraine sure knew that she wished to spend her life with him. Tears sure came to Quigley's eyes, as he realized just how he missed his parents. He wished he could bring them back.
"Are you feeling okay, Quig?" Violet asked, as she sat up in bed. She then turned on the lamp and looked over at Quigley. "Aw, what's the matter? You're crying. What is troubling you, honey? Are you just that upset about returning to school tomorrow?"
"No, it's not that," Quigley replied, weeping. "I was really thinking about my parents have fallen in love, and it's sure rather sad how they died young. It just wasn't long after we turned thirteen, and then... Oh, Violet, I simply miss them quite terribly."
"I really do understand the feeling, Quig," Violet replied, as she gently placed her arm around her boyfriend. "Why don't we head into the kitchen, and I can make some hot chocolate." As Quigley nodded, she then added, "In a way, I can't help but think that Sunny and Beatrice are lucky. It's hard to miss someone you don't even remember."
"I see what you mean," Quigley replied, as he tried to stop crying. "The pain of losing someone you love is just too great to bear. You know, I've really been thinking about what happens to us... after we die. Do you think there is an afterlife of some sort?"
"I would like to think there is one," Violet replied, sighing. "You know, I never was that religious - but I'm starting to think there might be a God. During the time that we were experiencing our series of unfortunate events, I just didn't feel that there was a God. I mean, we were just undergoing one tragedy after another, and it just made me..."
"I know exactly what you mean," Quigley replied, as he wiped his eyes. "I'd really like to believe that we would, one day, be reunited with our loved ones. I mean, the idea of heaven provides me with hope that I might... be able to see my parents again."
"I can never be as optimistic as Phil always was," Violet replied, as she was filling the kettle up with water. "Still, I sure think it's a great idea to never lose sight of hope. I really wonder if everyone else is sleeping well. After all, tomorrow really will be a..."
"You two couldn't sleep, either?" asked Klaus, just as he and Isadora stepped into the kitchen. "We could go for some hot chocolate ourselves. It's very hard to believe that this will actually be our last year of school. I quite must say that Hill Valley High School is certainly a much better school than Prufrock Preparatory School ever could be."
"I heard that the school has now closed down," replied Isadora, as she took a seat at the table. "Not only are our peers much nicer here, but we also receive quite a better education. You know, we should make our last year of high school be the greatest."
Quigley smiled at his sister, as Violet was pouring the hot chocolate into the cups. He just did have a lot to really be thankful for. As sad it was to lose his parents in a fire, the experience had caused him to mature as a person. For that, he was fortunate.