Violet jumped awake in the middle of the night. At first she wasn't positive what had woken her… but then she heard a cry, a desperate cry of pain. She jumped to her feet and ran out of the door into the main room. The fire was gone, so everything was hard to see… but once her eyes adjusted she saw what had cried. Klaus lay on the floor by the sofa where Narantha had set him. He was whimpering softly, a large gash on his arm bleeding again. She rushed to his sighed and set his head in her lap. "Klaus? Klaus, what happened, are you okay?" She was scared. The only time he had ever fallen out of bed was once as a little boy when he got very, very sick. Klaus looked at her, terrified eyes watering in fear.
"V-Violet, she's here…" he said so quietly Violet had to strain to hear. "She-She's outside… she-she tried- she tried to…" Klaus began to sob, burying his face in his sister's stomach. Violet ran her hands through Klaus's hair, like she remembered her mother doing whenever Klaus was afraid or upset, trying hard to calm him. The only problem was in her fear, her hand was trembling. "Klaus, who's outside? What did they try and do." Klaus was still sobbing but he lifted his head. "She-she-she came in w-with a knife, a-a-and she tried t-t-to kill me… I-I sc-screamed, and-and sh-she heard you c-coming… sh-she ran outs-s-side."
Violet stood up and looked out the window. She didn't approach it, just incase something would attack if she did. "V-Violet, d-d-don't leave me…" bawled Klaus, trying to stand up, but he was still very week and fell back to the floor, but Violet was too busy trying to see who was outside. She took a step toward the window, but she still didn't see anything. She continued to inch toward the window, but even when she stood right there, her face to the glass, she saw nothing. "Perhaps you were having a bad dream?" she suggested, but Klaus shook his head. "N-no, sh-she was there, I s-saw h-her. Sh-she had Count Olaf's knife… sh-she tried t-to kill me with it V-Violet." Violet kneeled next to her brother. "Klaus, you're just hallucinating… Narantha said…" but she cut off. "Narantha!" she said, hardly believing it. "But- but Narantha was so kind to you. To all of us…" but she gasped again. Could Klaus's injection have been poison? Could that gel she put on Sunny have been poison? Had she poisoned the tea Violet drank from? Violet held her stomach and threw up at the thought. "It was Narantha… she lied to us." But Klaus shook his head. "N-not Narantha…" he sputtered, another of his wounds breaking open from his movement. Violet looked at the pile of vomit on the floor and shook her head. "It-it wasn't Narantha? But, but who? Who did you see?" "I-It was… I-I s-s-saw…" but before he could say who he saw a loud cough erupted from his throat, sending blood spattering in different directions. Violet screamed, running to her brother's side as he fell to the floor, motionless.
Moments later Narantha came running into the room. "Violet! I heard you scream and…" but she stopped, looking at Violet and Klaus dazed. "I-I thought that…" Violet had tears filling her eyes, her ear laying on Klaus's chest. "I thought that he- and that…" sputtered Narantha. "He's dead…" sobbed Violet, "he's dead and it's my entire fault!" Narantha stepped over to Violet, setting her hand on Violet's shoulder. "NO!" Violet screamed pulling away from Narantha, "Don't touch me! Don't come near me! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?! I THOUGHT YOU SAID HE'D BE OKAY!" Narantha looked to the floor, trying not to cry. "I- I didn't know how to- how to tell you… there was nothing I could do. When you're brother was attacked, I saw, the wolf stood on his throat as he ripped at his neck… when he did that, you're brother's windpipe was damaged internally, air would slowly become harder to get, and soon the pressure would cause the pipe to burst. I couldn't help him, Violet; there was nothing I could do." Violet's face filled with rage. "BUT WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!!! I'D RATHER HAVE KNOWN THAN FIND OUT LIKE THIS!" she screamed pointing to the spattered blood around the room and dripping from Klaus's mouth. Narantha nodded and began to walk out of the room, but stopped in the doorway. "I should have told you, you're right, but you do realize now… you and Sunny are on your own… and I… well you probably hate me… but I'd come with you… I'd be helpful, you know... if you were hurt…" "Just like you helped Klaus?" muttered Violet under her breath. Narantha sighed. "I understand… you may stay here tonight, and can leave when you're ready… shall I take your brother's body to the forest?" Violet brushed a tear from her eye, "What do you mean?" Narantha sighed, "I mean, give him to the forest so he may live on in its heart." Violet knew that what Narantha meant was "take it out and let it rot so my house doesn't smell like corpse" but it's not like Violet could carry her dead brother on her back. She nodded a few more tears appearing in her eyes. Narantha walked over and picked up Klaus. She walked out the door and did not return for a few minutes, then a few more, then even more. Violet finally couldn't stand it and walked outside to find her.
Sunny awoke to find Narantha's cabin empty. Klaus was no longer on the couch, and Narantha and Violet were not sitting in their chairs sipping tea. She yawned and set her feet on the ground. "Violet! Nantha?" she called out but there was no answer. She began to walk clumsily around. A foul smell hung in the air, like old casserole. She wandered over to the door leading to the hallway. "Violet, aruer? Nantha, eraru?" She called meaning, "Violet, Narantha, where have you gotten?" Suddenly there was a scream that shook the forest. Sunny stumbled over to the door, pulling the handle that was just close enough to the ground for her to reach. She stepped out into the forest where snow was falling in blistering winds. "Violet, aruer? Nantha, eraru?" she repeated when she saw them standing on the hilltop. Sunny ran clumsily over and grabbed onto her sister's leg. At first she thought Violet was frozen, but then she saw Narantha, too, was looking blankly ahead. She turned to see what was so fascinating, and when she did, her expression matched Narantha's and her sister's.
Fire.