Here's a new chapter! I posted a trailer for the entire fanfiction on YouTube. Here's the link: .com/watch?v=JERSn0tTML8
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Chapter Six: WORRIES
The rest of the day was just as horrible. Stephano kept watching us carefully. When the rest of the items were brought in Stephano only carried them in one hand, keeping the other in his pocket where his sharp knife was. Uncle Monty didn't notice because he was too excited about all the things he bought.
When Stephano helped prepare the dinner he used his own knife to slice the mushrooms, as he smiled at us menacingly. Uncle Monty was too busy cooking the rest of dinner to notice. At the dinner table, Stephano told stories that made Uncle Monty laugh and praised Monty's scientific work. I gritted my teeth every time Stephano said one of his stupid remarks that I knew were lies.
When dinner was over, Uncle Monty announced that he would show Stephano around the Reptile Room and the Baudelaire's and I went upstairs.
"Good night, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny." I said.
"Good night, Jane," Violet said. Sunny nodded and they went into their bedrooms, leaving Klaus and I alone in the hallway.
"Good night," Klaus said.
"I-I'm sorry about…you know…" I trailed off looking down at the ground.
Klaus gave me a small smile. "It's okay, Jane," he said, "I'm just glad you're okay. I'm sorry for how I reacted it was uncalled for."
I nodded. Tears brimmed at the corners of my eyes.
"What's wrong, Jane?" Klaus asked softly, "Why are you crying?"
I reached up to wipe my eyes with the backs of my hands. I shook my head. "I-I just…didn't expect you to forgive me that easily," I mumbled, "or accept me really. I guess what I'm trying to say is…thanks…for being such a good friend…well…goodnight." I left, going into my bedroom. I felt more tears coming and I pulled my legs up to my chest on my bed and began to sob. I've never had someone be so, so kind to me before. He's not quick to judge or anything at all. He was my one and only real friend.
It was only a few minutes before the door opened and Klaus, who was still dressed stood behind it. I didn't say anything and he didn't either; he just came to sit beside me. I sobbed even harder.
"Are you alright?" Klaus asked.
"I've just…never really had a friend like you," I explained, tears fell from my cheeks, "I don't really think I deserve it all. I'm just not one of those people that good things happen to. I guess it's just that I've never really gotten over my parents leaving me. I just want them to come back. I wouldn't be resentful…as long as they took me home wherever home is. But…they're just not coming back…"
"I'm sorry," Klaus said, softly.
"Oh, Klaus I'm so sorry," I said between sobs, "I'm sorry about everything-" My voice cracked at the end and I began to sob some more.
"No, don't be sorry, this isn't your fault," Klaus said, "I understand if it was too overwhelming for you to tell me the truth. Losing someone you love is hard. I know that now."
"It is my fault," I sobbed, "I mean if I hadn't given the phone to Uncle Monty when Stephano called to ask to be his assistant, none of this would have happened."
"But, you didn't know he was Count Olaf, you've never even met him before." Klaus said. "So you can't blame yourself for what happened."
I sighed. "I think it's time that I was completely honest with you. Can you keep a secret?"
"Yes," Klaus said, "of course."
I sighed. "So I guess you already know that my parents didn't die in a fire."
Klaus grimaced. "Yes," he said, "Stephano made that clear."
"I knew from the minute I saw that man that I would hate his guts," I muttered.
Klaus gave me a slight smile. "I wish I had foreseen that," he said, "maybe I could've done something to stop this. By the way, you're not the one who should be sorry. If anyone should be sorry, it's me."
"Klaus," I protested, "You did nothing wrong. You're not a bad person."
"But if I hadn't come here," Klaus said, "Count Olaf wouldn't have come here either and you would be safe. Maybe this place could have eventually been what you could finally call 'home'."
I couldn't believe how selfless Klaus was. Of all people, he actually cared more about me? I hardly deserved it.
"Klaus, no matter how long I spend in this home, it could never truly be home to me," I said, "So don't feel guilty about something as ridiculous as my wellbeing. Besides, you can't lose hope. I promise you that I'll do whatever I can to help you and your siblings. I could never hate you for coming here. After all, if you hadn't, I wouldn't have such a good friend. I enjoy having you around to tell me about the Trojan War and all those other things that you read about."
Klaus gave me a small smile. "I'm still worried, though. I don't want you to sacrifice your life for mine. Count Olaf's dangerous. Maybe you were right to pretend you thought he was Stephano. Maybe you should listen to Count Olaf and be nice, whatever that means to him."
"I'm not going to be nice to someone who's a dangerous villain," I said, "I'll try not to say anything too rude but I'm not going to compliment him or anything. You shouldn't be worried about me, though. I can take care of myself. I'm a lot tougher than you might think. I don't let people mess with me without getting my revenge."
"J-just be careful," Klaus said, intensely staring into my eyes, "so, go on about your parents."
I blinked, trying to focus.
"Oh…yeah," I gained my composure, "Well, when I was just a baby, I was found on the doorstep of the Ontario Boarding School for girls in Canada." I took a deep breath. It always hurt to remember my past. "I never knew why. But I guess that my parents just didn't want me or something else. They both died mysteriously and I have no other relatives. That's why Mr. Poe sent me to live with a family friend. I had no idea my parents knew Count Olaf. But ever since I've felt like my parents didn't want me…that I wasn't as good as everyone else because I was a 'mistake'. I mean, they just abandoned me…without even leaving a note that informed the school of who they were and where they came from. The only thing they left was my birth certificate. Then, after that my parents were killed somehow. I was told that they died in a car accident."
Klaus' eyes were wide. "That's terrible. Did you not have a good time at the boarding school?"
"That was a miserable time," I replied. I launched into my story about everything that happened to me at the Ontario Boarding School For Girls. How I had to do all kinds of chores in order to pay the school so they wouldn't send me onto the streets.
"They told me that I was an accident and they're right," I said, deflated.
"No," Klaus said. "You're not an accident."
"But I am!" I cried, tears ran down my cheeks, "If I wasn't, then, my parents would still be here, right? They wouldn't have abandoned me. They didn't love me."
"Well, I don't think you're an accident," Klaus said, "I can't believe someone as great as you could have been an accident. Your parents had to have loved you."
"Thanks," I said, quietly. "Anyways, that's why I didn't believe you right away when you said Stephano was really Count Olaf," I looked down. "I've never really been able to trust anyone before. I've always been lied to. No one's ever loved me enough to tell me the truth and I never wanted to confide in anyone I've met. I've learned not to trust people that I don't like or don't know. I don't know if I can really trust your siblings just yet. They're very nice of course, but for some reason it's easier for me to trust you. Am I right to trust you?"
Klaus nodded sincerely. "You can always trust me," he said. "I trust you."
"Good," I said, smiling a little. "'Cause there's more."
Klaus nodded and I went on. "A few weeks ago, I was living with Mr. Poe because he's my executor, as well, so anyways, I was walking down the street and first this long, black car passes me with a dark figure inside. For some reason I was frightened so I sped up walking a little. Then, I began to smell smoke. I looked over and an enormous mansion was on fire so I called the fire department. I told the fireman who answered about the fire and he said that there was another fire happening at that time but he said he would send help. I couldn't wait for them to come so I went inside.
"Oh, it was terrible. There was an enormous library that was burning to ashes and I could barely see. Screams were coming from the upper floors, and then, somebody grabbed my arm. It was a mysterious man who I couldn't really see because of all the smoke. He warned me that I should get out. So I did. That's when the fire department came and put out the fire. When they came, the fire trucks, all had the same eye that you described on Count Olaf's right ankle. The mysterious man and the Headmistress of my boarding school had the same tattoo. I remembered the person who had told me to get out so I looked over to see if he was still there. But he was gone. The firemen found two bodies that had been nearly burnt to a crisp inside. They left the house, not realizing I was still there. I reentered and saw the destruction. I entered the library and everything was ruined. It was horrible. All of those books full of so much knowledge…lost like a footprint in the sand when it's washed over with waves. But I found this one book that had been in fairly good condition. It was bookmarked and everything." I got up and went to my bag. I dug through it and took out the book. I held it out to Klaus and I heard him gasp and his eyes went as wide as saucers.
"J-jane, that was the book I was reading. I think you witnessed the destruction of my home."
I gaped at him. "Oh, my…that's even worse!" I jumped up and started to pace back and forth. "I thought I was going to be in trouble for stealing but, now that I witnessed-"
"Jane, relax," Klaus was in front of me and placed his hands firmly on my shoulder's forcing me to stop, "I was just shocked. You did nothing wrong."
I looked away from his brown eyes that bored into mine. "Fine."
"Is that all you wanted to tell me?" Klaus asked, letting go.
"No," I mumbled, sitting back down on the bed. "There's another strange thing that I want to talk to you about. You see, while Mr. Poe drove me to Count Olaf's home, I began to get butterflies because I was strangely nervous about Count Olaf who claimed that he was a close friend of my father. When Mr. Poe stopped the car it got even worse and as I walked up the path to his home, he opened the door and everything suddenly went black. The next thing I knew I was in a very dark tunnel underground. I could barely see but there was a stream of light coming from what looked like a trap door. I climbed through the opening to find myself in the Reptile Room. And that's how I know Count Olaf, he recognized me just like Mr. Poe did. That's also how I got here. I don't understand how I escaped Count Olaf, I just did."
"That sounds strange," he said, "but I believe you."
"So you haven't read anything about that kind of thing happening?"
"Only in fiction."
I sighed and sat back down on my bed. "Maybe I'm dreaming or something. What could explain something so extraordinary? And I discovered another thing that I can do, watch."
I reached my hand out towards the bookshelf and concentrated really hard on one of the books. The book fell out of the shelf and floated to my hand. It stayed frozen in the air until I grabbed it.
Klaus was studying me. "Maybe it's some kind of magic. Like in Mathilda."
That made sense. "But Mathilda never disintegrated into thin air and appeared in another location."
"Well, you said you knew little about your parents," Klaus said, "so maybe you inherited it from them. Maybe they had magic somehow."
I sighed. "Maybe," I looked down at my hands then back up at Klaus, "D-do you believe in magic?"
"I'm not sure," Klaus said, gazing out the window, "but maybe magic is real and it's just right under our noses but people have so many logical explanations for things that they don't notice that maybe somethings can't be explained."
We were silent. I could hear the faint sound of crickets chirping and an owl hooting outside.
Klaus smiled and looked back at me. "You know, if I had been one of the kids at that boarding school, I would've been your friend."
I smiled brightly. "I know."
We stared at each other for a second, and then I blushed and looked down.
"What else do you like? Music?" Klaus asked, gazing at the Broadway posters along the walls.
"Yes," I said, nodding. "I love singing and listening to music. My iPod is something I can't live without."
"Will you sing something for me?"
I looked down at my hands, blushing bright red. "Not right now."
"Why not? I'm sure you're amazing," Klaus said.
I blushed even more. "N-not right now," I repeated, "later."
"All right, fine but I'd like to hear you soon," he said. "What's your favorite song?"
I sighed, thinking. "I don't have a favorite song, I have favorite songs." I replied. Klaus chuckled. "But I like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and the Fray. And that's just naming a few."
Klaus laughed. "I could tell you're a Taylor Swift kind of girl," he said.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Another smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "I d-don't know you just seem like your as genuine and kind-hearted as Taylor Swift."
"Well, then I should warn you that I used to be a major Britney Spears fan." I said, "You know, back in the day before she shaved her head."
Klaus chuckled again. He went over to the bookshelf stalked with a few books. "I like the Fray. I don't like Lady Gaga though. Britney Spears isn't the greatest role model either."
I grimaced. "Yeah, maybe not. That's what I thought about Lady Gaga in the beginning, but I'm now a huge fan. She's not exactly a great role model but I love all of her songs especially, 'Speechless', 'Bad Romance', and 'You and I'," I said.
"Do you listen to classic rock at all?" Klaus asked.
"Do you mean Led Zeppelin, Journey, U2, the Who, and the Eagles?" I asked.
Klaus brightened. "Do you like them?"
"Of course, I do!" I cried, as if it were obvious, "I love old music. It sounds so much more genuine compared to the music today. I mean, all of those amazing guitar solos…"
Klaus was now examining one of my books. "Twilight?" he asked, skeptically.
I grinned. "Oh, you be quiet about that. I just started reading that book. I haven't seen the movie so I don't despise it yet."
"Which team are you on?" Klaus asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I've only met Edward so far so…I'm Team Edward," I said, "but I'm also Team Taylor Lautner."
Klaus grinned now. "Of course you would like the vampire," Klaus said, "Violet does too. She won't admit that she likes the Twilight series to anyone who isn't a fan. I think you two will get along."
I beamed. "I hope so."
Klaus returned the book back to its spot on the shelf. He looked at the clock beside my bed. "It's getting late, we should probably get some sleep. Thanks for telling me."
"You're welcome," I said. "Here's your book."
"Keep it," he said, "that way I'll always have a reason to come see you."
I beamed. "Do you promise not to tell?"
"I swear," he said, solemnly as he walked out. "Good night."
"Good night," I whispered.
I didn't move at first. I just stared at the door. A smile broke across my face and I flopped down on my bed and hugged his book to my chest. I haven't been this happy in a while. I really did trust Klaus. He made everything seem brighter. With him, my life didn't seem so horrible, after all.
