Chapter 29

Returning to her home before dark was the best way to prevent Mr. Caliban from becoming too worried and banning Holly from leaving the house altogether. She'd hidden all of her plans within her shoulder bag in preparation for the next phase of her plan and began walking along the shoreline until she saw her house aglow with lights. It was almost a comforting sight as the sky became grayer with dusk slowly seeping along the fjord. The orange and yellow lights reflected themselves in her eyes and appeared to flicker like the flame of a candle. It appeared as if there was a fire glowing from behind the windows.

The thought caused the girl to halt in horror and quickly scan the sky above her home. The only plume of smoke rising from it was through the chimney, as was to be expected and which told the girl that the most dangerous element in the world was being controlled and regulated properly. For a fleeting moment, the young girl became frightened that her home was about to join the ranks of the many buildings that were known to be flammable which destroy homes and create orphaned children.

The girl's mind goes back to what her mother had told her many times over the years.

"Fire is the most dangerous element in all of human existence, Holly. While harmless at first, once it becomes too big, it cannot be controlled or contained. It is why it should never be put in the hands of innocent children or homicidal maniacs. A single spark can create all kinds of chaos and destruction, the kind that can never be traced and the greatest fires that could set the world ablaze. It can be like a kind of evil that ravages everything innocent and good and leave nothing left but ashes and tears…"

Thinking back, she remembered the first time this speech was said to her. It had been after Holly had attempted to light a campfire outside on her own, a single rogue spark had caused the surrounding grass to catch fire as well. If it hadn't been for the quick actions of both parents through the use of the garden hose and some blankets, a seemingly innocent intention could have created untold devastation and ruin, especially to their family home. She had been scolded for trying to do something so dangerous on her own and was told to wait for an adult to assist her next time. Her mother had told her these words as a warning but knowing what Holly had learned about her parents and their ties to VFD, it can be assumed that Celisa Acton was informing her daughter and possibly a future member of the organization what could occur when such forces fall into the wrong hands. Much like other important phrases, these cautionary speeches were repeated throughout the remainder of the girl's childhood and even after her mother had died. It was something that had become second nature to her and was now probably the most important thing for this girl to remember as she took the next step in her journey.

These haunting words are something that I myself wished that every person had been able to hear, including the Baudelaires, the Quagmires, a former friend of mine and my lovely Beatrice. For the two sets of orphans who were friends with Holly, they knew what fire could do and what had done to their lives. The homes and their loved ones had been taken, thrown their lives into great chaos, and left them with only ashes, tears, and a great many questions. When it comes to my former friend and ally, I doubt these words would have helped him at all as he took great delight in spreading and creating chaos with this dangerous element. I believe that it is also safe to assume that he has become a homicidal maniac through his decisions and desires to solve all of his problems by burning them. It is a wasted hope that the speech could have any impact on his mind at all, and I do take partial blame for that happening. As for the love of my life, I wish that these words had been spoken to her as her home began to go up in flames one fateful day. The very thought that these words could have saved her life causes me great emotional pain that has me desperately wanting to go back and do something to stop it. To help her and save her from the ashes and the tears I shed every evening at half-past eleven.

There is another phrase that I hope my relative was able to hear at some point and that is: "If everyone fought fire with fire, the whole world would go up in smoke." These are words that I can remember my sister and many of my other associates saying to me… words that I have not heeded due to my many years being on the run. There have been times where I was anxious and distressed and could not prevent the chaos that came from the most dangerous element in the world. While it is not in the hands of a child or a maniac, it is still in the hands of a desperate man that needed ways to evade the authorities and preventing further disasters and the spreading of evil.

There was another part of her mother's warning that was evading her mind as Holly came in from the bitterly cold winds, fighting to shut the back door behind her. She pondered it as she put her shoulder bag on the piano bench and then walked to the living room.

To her delight, Mr. Caliban had built up a fire in the fireplace. She sat down in her father's favourite chair and warmed herself while trying to think of that last part of her mother's speech. It was so bizarre to think to herself about how dangerous and uncontrollable fire can be, but at the same time provide you warmth and comfort when it was needed. Almost like a sunrise or sunset, or perhaps a chef's salad, not truly light or dark and neither fully wicked nor noble. Benign and chaotic, such a strange thought for something such as fire.

The young teen was alone with her thoughts. The VFD agent was nowhere in sight, which was fine for the girl as she had to wonder how she was going to put her plan into action. The key spark that would set it in motion was for a taxi to come to the house and for her absence to be undiscovered until it was far too late for her to turn back. None of this could be accomplished without some sly actions on her part.

Her stomach turned when she realized she might have to betray the trust Mr. Caliban had in her to accomplish her mission. She began to wonder if it was worth going through all this trouble, risking her life like this. However, when she viewed the newspaper on the coffee table and her friends' faces smiling, she knew that her decision was the right one and she had to try and control this spark to prevent it from setting the whole world ablaze.

…

The following day, Holly was up and made breakfast for both of them like before. This time the meal was eggs on toast. A meal to help her think things through.

The Daily Punctilio ran a follow-up piece about the Quagmire kidnapping and the girl remained skeptical of the piece as she sat in her kitchen with her toast and morning tea. It annoyed her that something that was supposed to be a trusted source of information got many things wrong. They misspelled the name of Prufrock Preparatory School and even claimed that Nero was the principal of the school. Such a thing made her laugh like no one in their right mind would put such an incompetent and egotistical man in charge of a facility for children. There was even a statement from the infamous violinist, claiming that he never trusted Coach Genghis and was shocked that the man was Count Omar… Olaf.

The encounter she had with the villain made her shudder, but she hid it well as Mr. Caliban walked into the kitchen.

"Lovely morning isn't it?" he asked as he went to prepare some coffee for himself.

Holly snorted in amusement as the skies surrounding the fjord were gray and unforgiving, a phrase which here means to be not willing to forgive or excuse people's faults or wrongdoings or in the case of the weather, conditions being harsh and hostile. The Fidelis Fjords was a seasonal location. In the spring and summers, it was gorgeous, sunny and warm, and in the winters and fall, or the "off-season" it was cold, gray and harsh. She knew the man was just trying to make conversation and responds as such.

"Yes, less wind than yesterday too,"

The young girl could tell that he had not slept well at all… thinking back, her father never slept very well either. Did any member of VFD get a full night's sleep at all? Perhaps not with all the secrets they held and the loss they lived with every day.

Knowing she had to find a way to put her plan into action, Holly cleared her throat.

"So, I noticed that we are low on a few things in the fridge, and I was hoping that I could go into town today and purchase a few things."

Mr. Caliban's toast was stopped midway to his mouth after she'd spoken these words. It was as if she'd suggested burning down the house or climbing a mountain without the proper equipment.

"Now I know you don't want me to, but I do not think you know the town well enough yet to be able to navigate it and find the best places to buy food," she reasoned.

The man's eyes remained on the girl, skeptical and very afraid.

"You have to understand that while your orders are to keep me safe, a part of keeping me safe is to allow life to go on as normal in order to avoid suspicion. If we remain in this house and slowly run out of food and do not go and buy more, people will suspect that something is happening. Arcanum is a small town, and everyone knows everyone's business and if they do not see me or my father around town like normal, they will gossip, and that gossip will spread like wildfire."

It can be suspected that Thursday Caliban felt very torn once again. His orders to protect the girl still stood firm, but she was not his prisoner. He could not stop her from doing simple things like going outside or buying food. While these things seemed simple, he had learned long ago that a small spark of anything can lead to chaos and danger. He had to find some way to try and control it. Her mentioning gossip and how quickly it could spread along with suspicion worried him too. He knew better than anyone that to avoid people questioning your motives is to act as normal as possible, something that I sadly cannot accomplish due to being on the LAM all the time. My actions often arouse doubt and misgivings due to my desire to travel in large baskets or receiving my mail stuck to the back of old paintings in fancy hotels.

Knowing the girl was trying to reasonable and cautious, he sipped his coffee for a length of time before answering.

"All right, I will drive you into town and remain in the car to wait for you."

The man knew that he could accompany the girl inside to wherever she went but he did not want her to become mad or annoyed with him, thus risking the possibility that she might rebel in some other way. Plus, if the people of the town did gossip and saw this strange man with a local girl that they could recognize, it would arouse more suspicion. It was the best way to control the situation and prevent things from getting any worse.

Holly smiled, pleased that the man was seeing things her way. While she did feel guilt for manipulating the situation to favour her, it was all necessary for her plan to work.

…

After grabbing money from inside one of her father's vases, where he kept emergency money for his daughter to buy food and other necessities, the two people were headed into town. Holly directed Mr. Caliban of all the best stores and markets to buy various foods.

When the girl entered the first store, she began browsing through the aisles, selecting things that Mr. Caliban might like to cook for himself, and food that could travel with her. She made sure to pick aisles that were not empty but contained people talking to one another. Most were men or women with their children accompanying them either inside the cart or walking beside it. Holly avoids thinking about how her father or mother would allow her to ride in the cart until she was far older than she needed to be. She also pushed the thoughts of when her parents would buy her a treat of some kind for being good during the trips. Such sad memories were not needed right now because she had to eavesdrop with a purpose in mind, hopefully making it less rude than it is usually considered.

She was listening for specific information that could work for her.

Eventually, she got in line to pay for her food and continued to eavesdrop. Most of the chatter was about the weather and the news, specifically about the kidnapping. Many gave sympathy to the orphans and said they would pray for the child's safe return. One woman, whom Holly knew as the biggest gossip of all, preached to everyone about how the moral fabric of society was collapsing around them and what kind of place had the world become if children were not safe. For once, the teen agreed with what the woman was saying.

When she finally reaches the front of the line, a kindly cashier recognized the girl.

"Holly Snicton, long time no see," Mr. Telltone bellowed in delight.

Several heads turned, nodded and smiled to acknowledge the girl's return to the town, something that she did not quite need and also went against Mr. Caliban's desire for her to remain hidden. However, such feats were impossible in such a small town.

"Hello Mr. Telltone, how have you been?"

"Quite well my child, quite well. Now how about sharing with this old man where you have been these past several weeks."

Holly bit her lip very hard while forming a lie. "My father had to go on an extended business trip, and he took me to stay with a family friend while he is away. My father will be returning in a few days' time, so the friend and I have come home to prepare his arrival." It was a good lie that could explain Mr. Caliban's presence if someone were to see him driving the girl around.

"Ah, another trip takes a father from his child. It's very sad that he is called away so much. That is why I always wanted to run my own grocery store so I wouldn't be too far from my children."

Holly smiled politely, nodding in agreement. Mr. Telltone's children had grown up and moved away to have families of their own, but he still owned the grocery store in town with his wife and was happy to lead such a simple but meaningful life. Several days previously, the girl would have considered her life the same way, but so many secrets made everything chaotic and uncontrollable. There were some points in which she wished that her father had a job in town that allowed him to be close to his daughter and not be away, keeping secrets.

"Does this family friend live in the city?" the old man continued, as he checked all of the girl's food items.

"Yes, it was pretty busy, and I did miss this town a lot."

"Most people do, my children too. Something about it keeps everyone coming back."

This information piqued Holly's interest.

"Is any of your family in town?"

"Just my youngest daughter. She's here for another day or two before she goes back to the city. This job she has at the bank keeps her very busy and unable to visit very often… which is why we treasure the time that she is here."

The teen nodded in agreement as she began to bag her own groceries.

"Is she taking a taxi back into town?"

"She will be. She is saving up for her own car and a few more months at the job will provide her with that luxury."

"Thank you again Mr. Telltone," Holly said as she began to leave the store, pleased and relieved of this new and important information that will be the spark that her journey needed.

A/N: Almost time for Holly's plan. Ominous words from Holly's mother. Thank you for your patience and support with this story.