Here's a new chapter!
R&R and Enjoy please!
Chapter Nine: The Catalog
It was dark around where I sat inside the statue. I assumed I was in the part where the rocks were because I couldn't see where the walls were. I think I had been shoved through the back of the statue near the giant rock. But these observations were brief because I wasn't thinking about them. I kept trying to yell for the Baudelaires, despite the tape over my mouth. I knew they couldn't hear me, though because I couldn't hear much besides my own breathing and muffled screams.
When I knew all attempts were hopeless, I fell silent. I hung my head and I felt tears leaking from my eyes. I had let the Baudelaires down. Yet again. now Count Olaf was going to catch them too and there would be no hope left. Olaf would sneak us out of town and to that island. To that stupid island with nowhere for us to escape except by boat or by swimming, if we dared. We were all doomed and it was my entire fault. Why couldn't I be a better liar? Weren't actresses supposed to be good at that stuff?
I looked up and tried to make out where the face of the mermaid was. It was too dark to see much, but I spotted a hole carved near the top. I guessed it was the hole I had seen for her mouth. For me, it was my only source of fresh air so I wouldn't suffocate in here. It would've been a source of light too, if it weren't so dark outside of the statue.
I managed to get to my feet, but as soon as I did, I was jerked and fell against the side of the statue. I didn't have my hands to steady myself or brace myself, so something that was rather sharp scratched my arm and my leg. I couldn't tell what it was and I hoped I would get some light soon so I could check it out.
The statue shifted again so I was tipped to the other side where the sharp object scratched my other arm and leg. I wondered why I was tipping. Olaf's associates were probably carrying the statue. After a moment, the statue was upright again. I couldn't hear much of what was going on outside the statue, but I heard faint scraping sounds from below that sounded like wheels turning.
My stomach growled then. It just occurred to me that I was really hungry and thirsty. I haven't had anything to drink since those aqueous martinis I had at the Squalors' before Gunther arrived. And I haven't eaten since long before that because Esmé forgot to give me dinner that evening. I regretted giving up that bread before when Duncan had offered it to me.
After waiting for quite sometime, I felt the statue being lifted again. So again I fell to the side, hurting my arms and legs yet again.
The statue was being carried again, causing me to fall back and forth against the sides. It was being lifted higher than I expected and I struggled not to lose my balance. After I realized it was hopeless, I decided it would be best if I sat down again. The statue rocked again as I went to sit and still, I fell against the sides. But after a brief moment, the statue went still. I must have reached my destination.
It was still dark and I had no idea where I was other than the fact that I was inside a statue of a mermaid. I found the hole at the top of the mermaid again and I had the idea of looking through it to see if I was in Veblen Hall or in another part of the elevator shaft. But the mouth was so high up and there was no way I would be able to reach it with my hands tied behind my back. And I was really short, which furthered my disappointment. I remembered when I was younger, I used to think I would grow up to be as tall as a giant. Then, Carmelita wouldn't be mean to me anymore because I'd threaten to squish her like a bug if she was. That thought had always made me smile. Of course, later, after I realized it was impossible for me to fly, it occurred to me that my dreams of being the tallest person in the world would not turn out as I planned.
I wished now that it was still possible. Then, I'd be too big for Gunther to shove me inside this mermaid and I wouldn't have fit in that cage. I could've stopped him from kidnapping me again and rescued the Quagmires. I could've made the Baudelaires proud of me and done something helpful. Instead, I've been hopelessly small and weak; I can't even last a few weeks without getting kidnapped by Gunther again.
I sighed and leaned my head against the side, avoiding whatever sharp object kept scratching up my arms. I felt it was a good time to write in my journal, except, when I had pulled it out and turned to a fresh page, it was so dark, I could barely see the white lined paper. I made an attempt to scrawl out the events that occurred in the last few hours, from the Baudelaires coming, to being thrown in this statue. But the writing was messy and I wasn't sure if I was even staying on the lines of the paper. I just hoped it would be somewhat legible.
When I was done, I was left with nothing else to do. I thought about sleeping like Gunther suggested. But every time I closed my eyes, I kept thinking about the poor Baudelaires who could be trapped in that net or possibly that cage. Besides, I was too antsy about the In Auction to sleep. What if I fell asleep and missed the entire auction? I knew the In Auction would be my last chance to at least rescue the Baudelaires or the Quagmires. I would try to escape too, of course, but lately, I haven't done the best with staying out of Olaf's clutches.
Despite, my worries, eventually, I felt myself slip into a light sleep. I woke up with a start. I had another nightmare where Count Olaf was chasing me. my head hurt from leaning against the golden surface at an awkward position, which in turn caused my neck to ache.
I forgot where I was and it took me a moment to remember I was about to be auctioned off for the In Auction. I also realized that it was light outside, wherever this statue was being kept. It wasn't too much of a difference, but it was bright enough to see what had been cutting up my arms and legs. A piece of metal was stuck to the side of the statue near my arms. It circled what I thought was the top of the mermaid's tail and was stuck to it with tiny screws. It looked as if it were placed there to hold the insides together. The edges of the metal were kind of sharp looking and dangerous like they had proved to be last night. Another was placed near my legs at what I thought to be where the rocks ended. I knew by the end of this auction, I would be so scratched up that it would look like I had been at battle.
Klaus Baudelaire
We came up with a new plan and soon we were making another journey up the rope ladder to the penthouse apartment. You would think, that after traveling up and down this shaft three times in just a few hours would make things much easier. But the darkness still scared me. I felt like any minute I would lose my grip and fall into the waiting mouth of this monstrous hole.
When we reached the top, I wasted no time and hurried to the library where I easily found the catalog of items for the In Auction. It might be too late to save Jane and the Quagmires from the cage at the bottom of the elevator shaft, but we still have a chance of preventing them from being sold in the In Auction.
I looked at every lot, which ranged from a piano to a vase full of blue flowers, specifically Cape Plumbago's. Nothing looked like it could fit three orphans. Jane was small in size, but not even she could fit into most of these items. Maybe she could fit under the lid of the piano, but with the Quagmires to fit inside as well, it seemed hopeless.
I was just reading about Lot #49 when Violet and Sunny entered. I kept focusing on reading though.
"I hate to disturb you when you're researching," Violet said, "But there was a note on my pillow from Jerome. Esmé is going to take us to Veblen Hall at ten-thirty sharp, and it 's just past ten o'clock. Is there any way we can help you?"
"I don't see how," I said, my mind focusing on the words on the page as I spoke. "There's only one copy of the catalog, and it's pretty complicated. Each of the items for the auction is called a lot, and the catalog lists each lot with a description and a guess at what the highest bid may be. I've read up to Lot #49, which is a valuable postage stamp."
"Well, Gunther can't hide them in a postage stamp," Violet said, "You can skip that lot."
"I've been skipping tons of lots," I said, "but I'm not any closer to figuring out where the Quagmires and Jane will be hidden. Would Gunther decide to hide them in Lot #14—an enormous globe? Would he hide them under the lid of Lot #25—a rare and valuable piano? Would he hide them in Lot #48—an enormous statue of a scarlet fish?" I turned the page of the catalog, "Or would he hide them in Lot #50, which is—"
I gasped as I stared at the name. In clear writing, "V.F.D." was printed on the page. There was no description of what the item contained, but I didn't need to read a description. I knew Jane and the Quagmires would be hiding in V.F.D., whatever it was.
"I can't believe my eyes," Violet said, "I just can't believe it."
"Toomsk," Sunny said, which meant, "This must be where Jane and the Quagmires will be hidden."
"I agree with Sunny," I said, "even though there's no description of the item. They don't even write what the letters stand for."
"Well, we're going to find out," Violet said, "Because we're going to rescue the Quagmires and Jane from Lot #50 before they leave the city. I guess the time was ripe for your researching skills."
"I guess I was," I said, "I can't believe it."
"Can't believe what?"
We jumped and turned to see Esmé Squalor standing in the doorway of the library. I remembered what Jane had told us, about Esmé being in cahoots with Count Olaf.
"Uh, nothing," Violet said, "we were just—"
"Looking at the catalog," Esmé finished, "Did you see anything you liked?" She walked over to us and peered over our shoulder at the catalog. "What's this? V.F.D.? Is that what you were looking at?"
"We were looking at all of the lots," I said, "we were just surprised that this is the only lot without a description. Do you know what it contains?"
"Gunther didn't tell me," Esmé said, "but he said it was one of the innest items in the catalog."
'Probably because he was hiding orphans inside,' I thought. Esmé was probably just covering for him. I couldn't trust a word she said anymore. I hated her. I hated anyone who hurt Jane because I knew she didn't deserve to be treated like that. It still made me mad to think about Carmelita Spats nearly killing Jane, and Christina and Kate humiliating her. I hated knowing that Gunther was free to push Jane around. Sometimes I wished that I could take Jane's place and she could be in my position now. Maybe she'd still be miserable in my situation, but at least she'd be safer—from Gunther, at least.
"Well, never mind that," Esmé said, "Let's go."
We put the catalog back on the table and followed Esmé from the library. She led us past various rooms until we exited the penthouse.
"Klaus and I will take turns carrying Sunny," Violet said, as she picked Sunny up. "That way the trip down the stairs will be easier for you.
"Oh, we don't have to walk down all those stairs," Esmé said.
"That's right," Violet agreed, "sliding down the banisters would be much faster."
Esmé put an arm around all of us and walked us away from the front door. Her arm was so tight around us that it made me feel uncomfortable. What was she going to do to us? "We won't have to slide down the banister, either," she said.
"What other way is there?" I asked.
Esmé reached out her other arm to push the Up button next to the sliding doors. Now I was very anxious and I thought about slipping out of her grasp, but it was too late. "The elevator, of course," Esmé said, as the doors to the elevator slid open. With a smile, she tossed us into the dark shaft. We plummeted down the shaft, seeing nothing but darkness. I screamed, realizing just how scary the shaft was and I recalled how Jane informed me that she had arrived the same way. But what if there wasn't a net this time? I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing I had failed. I failed to help Jane and the Quagmires. Now I was meeting my death and then, I would be even less capable of rescuing them.
To my relief, we fell safely onto a net just as Jane did, and my fear ceased for the moment. It didn't last long though because as I studied our surroundings, I realized we were trapped in the middle of a dark elevator shaft.
"Spenset," Sunny said, hoarsely.
"Yes, Sunny," Violet said, holding Sunny close, "We're alive."
"Yes, we're alive," I said, "this is how Jane got down here, remember? We're alive and we're okay."
"I wouldn't say you're okay," Esmé said, still standing at the top of the elevator shaft. "You're alive, but you're definitely not okay. And neither is the blonde brat for that matter. As soon as the auction is over and the Quagmires and Jane are on their way out of the city, Gunther will come and get you, and I can guarantee that you three orphans will never be okay again. I'm sure you saw what happened to poor, little Jane. Oh, what a wonderful and profitable day! My former acting teacher will finally get his hands on not one or two, but three fortunes!"
"Jane is not little!" I cried, "And he better not hurt her ever again or I'll—"
I was interrupted by Esmé's cruel laughter. "Or what? Don't worry though, as long as the little blonde brat is on her best behavior during the In Auction, maybe she'll be okay. If not, I'm afraid that pretty face of hers will be ruined. But that's miniscule compared to what Gunther will do to you three."
"How could you do this to us?" I yelled, angrily, "Why are you working with such a terrible villain?"
"He's not a terrible villain," Esmé said, "He's a genius! I instructed the doorman not to let you out of the penthouse until Gunther came to get you, but after I received a certain message, he convinced me that it would be a lot better if I threw you down here and he was right! Now there's no way you'll make it to the auction and mess up our plans!"
"Zisalem!" Sunny shrieked.
"My sister is right!" Violet cried, "You're our guardian! You're supposed to be keeping us safe, not throwing us down elevator shafts and stealing our fortune!"
"But I want to steal from you," Esmé said, "I want to steal from you the way Beatrice stole from me."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, "You're already unbelievably wealthy. Why do you want even more money?"
"Because it's in, of course," Esmé said, "Well, toodle-oo, children. 'Toodle-oo' is the 'in' way of saying goodbye to three bratty orphans you're never going to see again."
"Why?" Violet cried, "Why are you treating us so terribly?"
Esmé responded by cruel laugher that echoed off the walls of the elevator shaft, making me cover my ears. It made me angry to think that Esmé was helping Gunther get away with my friends. I should've done something when I had done the chance. But lately, things weren't exactly going the way I would prefer them to. Especially, knowing Jane was being stuffed into an item with the Quagmires as we speak. And not just any item, Lot V.F.D, the mystery that was so close to being solved.
I hope you liked it! If you did then you can always REVIEW! :)
I'll try to update soon! (And maybe a little quicker than this one if i'm able to)
