Disclaimer: I do not own A Series of Unfortunate Events.
3:00 PM EDT
To thirteen-year-old Isadora Quagmire, this whole thing felt like a nightmare. She had never lost a loved one before, and it was very distressing to think of how her parents were no more alive. Her father, Rupert Quagmire, was sure a courageous young man who was recruited by the VFD as a young boy - long before the schism had occurred.
Her mother, Lorraine Baines Quagmire, was always a warm and affectionate woman - and she was a real excellent cook. Her family were also members of the VFD, and she met Rupert back when she was ten - shortly after her family had moved to Hill Valley.
She had two brothers, Duncan and Quigley - who were identical in looks. The three of them were triplets, and Isadora was the youngest of the set. She was rather close to her mother, and the two really had a lot in common. She was also as boy crazy as her mother used to be, even though her father believed that she was too young to date.
One of her greatest passions was poetry, and many other girls her age regarded her as being conservative. However, Isadora really liked to have as much fun as the rest of them. She then thought of how she would have to move far away from town.
She would sure miss all her friends at school. While she wasn't quite the most popular girl in her school, she did have a lot of friends. There were also quite a few boys who would flirt with her, and she sort of had a relationship with a boy named Todd Morris.
The triplets turned thirteen three weeks ago, and it quite depressed her to think that they would have to spend their teen years without their parents present. She looked rather forward to becoming a teenager, but she had quite a feeling that her teenage years would be the lonliest and hardest. Her life had just been turned upside down.
She'd at least still have Duncan, but Quigley was nowhere to be found. The three of them had been very inseparatable, even though the boys really were a little uneasy about her dating Todd - who also happened to be a relatively close friend to them.
"I wish I could say this was just a nightmare," Duncan commented, as tears begin to fill his eyes. "I wish we could go back in time, and prevent the fire from happening. I really don't understand why anyone would do this to us. I mean, what did we do?"
"We didn't do anything," Isadora replied, as she was blinking back tears. "Oh, man, I sure do hope Quigley is okay. I simply hate to think that we might... might really lose him, too. It sure seems..." As Isadora looked up, she added, "I really see Mr. Turner coming to us. I know he works as a banker, but what could he really want with us?"
"I have some bad news for you," said Robert Turner, as he walked up to Isadora. "It appears that Quigley has also died in the fire. I'm sorry, but it sure looks like you and Duncan really will have no other choice but to attend Prufrock Preparatory School."
Isadora's heart suddenly sank. What if she and Duncan were suddenly referred to as being twins, instead of triplets? Maybe she was being somewhat overly sensitive, but she felt that it just would be a complete disregard to the memory of Quigley. It would be as cruel as telling a woman who lost her child that she was no longer a mother.
She just felt terribly nervous over the prospect of going to a boarding school. Would the people there end up liking her and Duncan - or what if they really ended up liking Duncan, but ended up shunning her? That idea actually made her feel even worse.
"Wait a minute, Mr. Turner," Duncan protested. "Are you saying that we're going to a boarding school? I mean, I guess we have to live somewhere - but it's really not going to feel like... like home. Are you real sure that none of our relatives could take us in."
"I've spoken with Milton and Susan Baines," Mr. Turner replied. "They said they would love to take you in, but the apartment complex they live in just have some strict rules that really govern who all can live with them. I'm sorry, children, but we sure have no choice but to send you to Prufrock Prep. Think of all the opportunities you'll have!"
"I just don't care about opportunities!" Isadora shouted, angrily. "I like school enough that I'm willing to study and be a very hard worker, but it doesn't mean that I want to live in a school. Anyway, if Quigley isn't with us any longer, then we really..."
"I am deeply sorry to hear of what happened to your brother," Mr. Turner said, as he shook his head. "However, there is nothing I can do about it. I do have such a feeling that the fire was no accident. I think it's some sort of a real dangerous organization."
Isadora and Duncan glanced at each other. Their parents had really told them about the VFD last week, and about the schism that had occurred in the organization many years ago. She had a feeling that it was the villianous side of the VFD that was quite responsible for burning down their mansion. She'd really have to look more into it.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Iz?" Duncan whispered, just as they followed Mr. Turner to the car. "You'd sure think that the Volunteer Fire Department would just be a noble sort of organization, but we have those on the villianous side that likely..."
"Start the fires?" Isadora suggested, stunned. Just then, she gasped, "Of course! In quite a strange sort of way, this really makes sense to me. The good side... the very side that our parents were on... puts out the fires. I guess this really means that the villianous side actually starts the fires. So both sides have something to do with fire!"
"We shouldn't discuss his anymore," suggested Duncan. "We don't know if Mr. Turner is part of the organization, and this organization really has to remain a secret. At any rate, this seems like such a nightmare to me. I really can't believe that Quigley is..."
"I really wish we could live with Uncle Milton and Aunt Susan," Isadora replied, as she sighed heavily. "We really were always close to Brent, too. I sure do hope they allow visitors at the... the school. I wish we could stop by, before we go to the school."
"I'm afraid we just don't have time for that," replied Mr. Turner, as he opened the car door. "Vice Principal Nero just cannot hold our reservations for long, and I really have no other place to send you. There were also children from this town where Milton and Susan live, and let's just say that my... my heart does go out to those poor children."
"What just happened to those children?" Isadora cried out, as she and Duncan began to step into the car. "Is it possible that... that they've also lost their parents in a fire? Are these children also going to be at Prufrock Preparatory School, If so, then we..."
"I really don't think so," Mr. Turner replied, shaking his head. "The thing is, they lived with Dr. Montgomery for nearly two weeks - but then he was murdered. I'm afraid to say that my colleague, Mr. Arthur Poe, is just not the most competent man around."
"What do you mean?" asked Duncan, worriedly. "If this fire is not an accident, then it just makes me feel like... like someone is after us. I mean, it seems like our lives have quite been turned upside down. It's sure sad to think that our parents aren't with us, and I can't imagine that Quigley died so young. He really did had a life ahead of him."
"Have you ever heard of Count Olaf?" Mr. Turner asked. As Isadora and Duncan both nodded, he added, "This was the very first guardian that he selected for the children. Count Olaf is very intent of getting his hands of the children's fortune, and he just..."
"So he's really that evil?" exclaimed Duncan, stunned. "I mean, I sure know he's done some terrible things - and he's also a very terrible actor. We actually went to see one of his shows back in 1978. We were only ten back then, but it was a terrible show!"
"Yeah, I'll never forget that," added Isadora. "I really fell asleep right in the middle of the show, and I actually had a lot of stamina back then. The thing is, I'm sure not the type of art snob who can't appreciate camp. However, I just saw better talent at the talent shows that our grade school would have. That's just how bad his shows are."
"He wonders why he can't ever get on TV," Mr. Turner replied, shaking his head. "By the way, the sapphires have survived the fire. The law sure states you cannot have them until you turn 18, though. As Duncan is the oldest of the triplets, he would..."
"I'll share them with Iz," Duncan was quick to reply. "I always thought the colour was so pretty, and they are so valuable. Although, I've heard that sapphires can come in all different colours. Although, when they're red, then they're actually called rubies."
"Maybe you'll share them with me, too?" suggested Mr. Turner, chuckling. "I'm really just kidding, of course - but my wife is quite into jewels. She even has a pair of ruby slippers that she often wears, which is rather like the kind that Dorothy Gale wore in The Wizard of Oz. I know she would feel very devastated, if she ever lost them."
"What about emeralds?" suggested Isadora. "I really do love that shade of green. I'm sure a colourful type of girl. I sometimes say that my least favourite colour is painfully perky pink, but that only when I'm feeling gloomy - which is just how I feel right now."
"I know what you mean, Iz," Duncan replied, sighing. "The last thing I'm in the mood for right now is excrutiatingly cheerful pink. In fact, I'm simply not sure I'll ever be in the mood for Christmas - as we no longer have a family to spend the season with."
Isadora placed her arm around her brother, as he began to cry. Isadora sure felt like crying, as well. Her thoughts turned to the other orphans, as she realized they might be undergoing an even worse situation. One of these days, she actually hoped to be able to meet the other orphans. It seemed like this world might be a corrupt place.