-A Different Kind of Fear –
By: Ariana Snicket
Rating: PG - PG-13
Disclaimer:
I own nothing of Lemony Snicket's worlds or characters. Everything recognizable belongs to Lemony Snicket; anything else belongs to me. This story was written for enjoyment and entertainment only (unless you find yourself weeping uncontrollably). Please do not use my original characters or situations (if any) without asking first. Thank you for your cooperation.
SECURITY: All right, reader, you'd better come with me.
Reader: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Summary:
Who knew Klaus was claustrophobic?
WARNINGS:
ANGST. A LOT OF IT.
Additional Notes:
Don't read this if you haven't read THE ERSATZ ELEVATOR. Also, if you haven't noticed, Klaus is my favorite character, so if you don't like him YOU CAN DIE. Well, read this first, and then you can die. –evil laugh-
Also, if you can, envision movie-Klaus while reading this. Because he's so cute. And add glasses. Tada!
Or not.
Whichever Klaus you like best.
I'm certainly not picky.
Sappiness.
Just a TEENSY-WEENSY bit of Violet/Klaus, for all you Klauslet shippers. Although you may not get much satisfaction out of it, because it more of a brotherly-sisterly luverly love. Sunny's cute, as always.
HAVE FUN!
And kill Madame Lulu while you're at it.
"We'll take the elevator."
The doors opened, and Klaus felt one fleeting moment of uncertain dread as he looked at Esmé for the last time, with her smug and cold smile, before she pushed him, Violet, and Sunny into the darkness of the elevator shaft.
And he fell.
Klaus gasped for oxygen, his body suddenly weightless, and stretched his arms towards the fading light of the hall, and it's solid ground. Time seemed to slow down, but as his hands clawed for the elevator doors, gravity seemed to activate, and he started to fall faster, a horrific sense of betrayal surging through his veins.
When he was ten, Klaus had read a book called "101 Ways to Commit Suicide". It said that if a person jumped off of a very tall building or cliff, they would die before they hit the ground, either from an involuntary heart attack or the pressure of air resistance. But as he fell with his siblings, his heart felt like it was going to explode, but it seemed nothing was holding him back, and he would die when he hit the stone shaft floor, a mass of broken bones and blood.
The quickly fading elevator doors closed in front of a laughing Esmé, shutting off all means of escape, and it seemed he was left all alone with the impending dark for company, plummeting downward, and the whoosh of air past his body as he fell sixty-six floors towards certain doom. Emotions seemed to charge though his chest, first making it constrict with anger, then dry up with the sadness of dying so soon. Then, thinking more about his situation, he felt uncontrollable joy at the thought of seeing his parents, and guilt, for not being able to take care of his siblings when they had needed him the most. His throat became hoarse, and he knew he was crying. He barely heard his own screaming over the sound of rushing air.
Violet was screaming.
Sunny was crying.
When Klaus was younger, around 11, he remembered a time when Sunny had just been brought home from the hospital, and his parents were trying to put her to sleep. He remembered he didn't like her very much, and had always hated it when she made noise when he was trying to do work. Klaus shared a bedroom with Violet right next to hers, and so he heard everything that she either said or did, or fussed about. It really was quite annoying.
She had cried very, very hard, and it seemed that she was being tortured instead of being comforted by her loving parents. She screamed and screamed, and Klaus didn't know why, but he had cried quietly along with her, even though he had no idea what was causing him to do this.
It seemed that his bond with Sunny had strengthened that night, and the following morning they were as thick as thieves.
Andhe was reliving the whole episode over again, and it was all he could do not to yell louder.
Gave a new meaning to "life flashing before your eyes."
And then-
His head snapped back, and he felt two thumps land beside him, along with the faint sound of something tearing. The abrupt stop to his thoughts left him panting softly, as if he had run a mile instead of thinking about his death and the death of his sisters.
He was alive.
He was alive?
"V-v-Violet? S-Sunny?" He whispered.
He felt his cheeks, which were wet from his tears, and then down the length of his arms, and then his legs, and then where he seemed to be sitting. It felt like a hammock. No… it was a net.
He waved a hand in front of his face, which stared blankly into the abyss of blackness that blocked his hand from his view. It was like he had his eyes closed, but not being able to open them; no matter hard he tried.
"Violet? Sunny?" He whispered shakily, again, his voice stronger, to the dark.
A pause, and then a small sniff. "We're here." Violet's voice.
Klaus moved over to where the two shadows were, and felt through the pitch black for their faces. His fingertips touched something soft, and he realized it must be Violet's lips, because he had his hand right in front of him and Sunny couldn't even stand that tall yet. That, and the bumpy smoothness couldn't be any other appendage on her face. The flesh was too soft. He smiled, and tears welled up in his eyes again.
"Klaus, what are you doing?" Violet asked, her voice a little cracked.
He dropped his hand, and rubbed furiously at his eyes, wiping the tears away with a strangled sob. "I'm sorry. I wanted to make s-sure… to make sure you were still here."
He sniffed again, and laughed softly through his tears. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm an idiot."
Looking up, he could partially see the wide smile on Violet's face through the darkness. Since his eyes were adjusting, everything was a little blurry, but he could still make out the way her eyes glistened, as though filled with water.
"You're not an idiot, Klaus," She said faintly. "You're not an idiot for caring about your family."
Klaus smiled sadly. "Thank you."
Sunny crawled over to where Klaus was sitting and put her small hand in his.
"Brothidot," She said, barely audible, which meant, "You're not an idiot, you're my brother."
Klaus smiled softly, and placed a kiss on top of Sunny's head. Violet crawled to where her siblings sat, and leaned against them. And they stayed there for a long time, just enjoying the company of each other, and the thought of not being dead.
"It is good to know we're alive." Violet said, breaking the silence.
"Spenset," said Sunny, her voice hoarse from screaming.
"Yes," Violet repeated more to herself then anyone else. "We're alive."
Klaus said nothing, just looked through the blackness, and holding his siblings close. He suddenly realized that he was in a much smaller space then he thought.
Sunny was the first one to move, crawling over to the sides of the net and looking down. She couldn't see the bottom.
"We must be 20 stories up, at least," Klaus said, easing his way out of his sisters' embrace, and crawling carefully over to where Sunny was looking. The net recoiled a little, as though a trampoline, and bounced Sunny up and down a bit, so she did a soft face plant into the net.
"Sorry Sun-" Klaus said, but then stopped at the strange ripping sound that cut through the otherwise silent shaft.
"What's happening?" Violet asked.
"Dunni," Sunny said.
"Me neither," Klaus agreed.
There it was again, the ripping sound. Klaus looked around wildly.
"What is it?" He asked, feeling around. The walls were so…close…
"I think the net might be ripping," Violet said, a small note of panic in her voice as she backed into a corner. "Try not to put anymore weight on it, or move."
"Violet…" Klaus said. "Now would be a good time to tie up your hair…"
The noise sounded again.
"Vi…" Sunny said.
Klaus looked away, and when he looked up again, Violet was moving around frantically.
"I can't!" Violet cried, searching her pockets. "I've lost my ribbon! It must of come out of my pocket when we were falling!"
Klaus looked down again then glanced back up.
"A little hel-" He started to say, but then was cut off by a final ripping noise, and the sinking feeling in his stomach that told him he was suddenly falling again.
He didn't have time to think of anything before he hit the ground.
Author's Notes:
Ehehehehehehehehe… cliffhanger. Yay. Should I have another chapter? Should I? Review the story of mine, please, and don't forget the cheese! Hey… That rhymed…please…