Dear Reviewers:

Phoenix72389: Yes, what could that psycho be thinking? –Receives am evil glare from Fiona- Heh heh…heh. Anyway, thank you!

Lady Emily: Ah, Quigley… I'll get to him later…

LolliPopsAreTears: Thanks… I'm hoping to get more of Isadora in there, but I'm still thinking up where she would fit. It seems like she's been more of a minor character in this story. And Duncan too. And yes, poor Klaus and Violet. Sunny, come home! –Bursts into tears-

SaturnStorm: Thank you! I'm glad you like it! I shall write more, don't you worry.

MlynnBloom: Thanks so much. That's what I was hoping you readers would get out of this. I don't like it when the author takes too much time explaining things they're just going to repeat later. So… Yeah. Thanks!

QuigleyRules: Thank you! I'm glad you like it! Updating now…

Ed the giant Racoon: Yay! You're back! I shall play you a song! –Takes out accordion but is promptly strangled by Fiona- Ack! Okay, I won't play it! Anywho, –urk- thanks! –choke-

Well, I guess I'm supposed to be dead now so I have no idea how I'm typing this… But here it is anyway, Chapter the Eighth! It's another kind of short one, but an okay one, in my opinion.

Chapter 8: E a v e s d r o p p i n g

"The first thing you need to know about eavesdropping is, 'Never get caught.' That's what my sister always says."

"And the second thing is, 'Know what the person you're eavesdropping on will do to you if you do get caught.' That's what I always say."

"Oh Jacky, do you have to be so negative all the time?" Sunny said, frowning.

"Well, you would be too if you mess with Fiona enough!" Jacky replied.

"Shh! She'll hear you!" Sunny hissed, pressing her ear against the door of Fiona's study.

"Listen, I don't know about you, but I think we should just get out of here, now," Jacky whispered furiously.

"I don't get it, Jacky, what's so bad about Fiona?" Sunny asked.

Her friend was silent for quite some time. Jacky stared hard at the ground, as if he wanted to drill a hole through it with his gaze, and he wore a solemn scowl on his lips.

"Jacky?" Sunny prompted gently.

"Nothing. Never mind," he said, standing up. "I think I'm just going to go to bed. We'll probably get in trouble for staying up late anyway."

"Okay. Well, I'm staying here. Fiona's been talking to Fedora about something and I want to see if I can figure out what it could be," Sunny said.

Jacky flashed Sunny one more look of disapproval, then turned and climbed up the stairs.

She shook her head and leaned into the door once again, pulling her ribbon out of her hair. She let it fall from her fingers and flutter to the floor, remembering another thing her sister had told her about eavesdropping. Always have an excuse in case you get caught. This way, if the door suddenly opened on her, she could pretend she was only looking for her ribbon and get away clean.

Sunny closed her eyes and pushed the side of her face flat against the wood. The door was rather thick, but after a moment or two, muffled noises sharpened into spoken words.

"I don't think he'll be gone for very long. If he's the same as he was 10 years ago, he's not giving up on Sunny. Especially if Violet gets involved."

A female voice; smooth yet menacing. Fiona, obviously.

"…Which she will, I'm sure."

This was a new voice. It was masculine, but sort of soft in a way. And slightly familiar…

Fedora, maybe?

"I'll admit it though, this was a bit easier than I thought it would be."

"What? The kidnapping?"

"Yeah. And getting Klaus to leave so quickly. He's different now, I'll tell you that."

"Uh-huh."

"More brandy?"

"No, thanks."

Sunny heard Fiona sigh contentedly. "I think this will all work out. After all, I do have the power," she said, her voice fairly teasing.

"Wasabi indeed."

Fiona laughed. "Wasabi indeed," she agreed.

Wasabi? Sunny wondered. Violet and Klaus used that joke all the time. Wasabi was the code word for "power," or "powerful." How could Fedora and Fiona know that too?

"I mean, now that we've got all the little brats convinced they're going to be Volunteers…" She said the word as if it was the punchline of a joke.

"…V.F.D. can throw anything they want at us," Fedora finished.

"Exactly."

There was a faint clink!ing noise as the two villains tapped their wine glasses together in a toast.

Oh no, Sunny thought, dread rising. What are they saying?

"So why exactly did you want Sunny?" Fedora asked.

"To attract the Volunteers' attention, mostly. I want them to know I'm still here."

"And you had to have Violet shot for the same reason?"

Sunny gasped.

"You're catching on."

"And it's also because of a certain Baudelaire, isn't it?"

There was a momentary silence.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Fiona said. Her voice was casual, yet there was an icy edge to it.

"Sorry."

"I think I'm going to go to turn in soon. All of this has left me exhausted. It's been a busy month hasn't it?"

"It has."

Sunny heard Fedora stand up and walk towards the door.

"Pleasant dreams," Fedora said, somewhat jokingly. Sunny could only wonder what sort of nightmarish things Fiona could pleasantly dream about.

"Goodnight," Fiona replied.

The doorknob rattled and turned. Sunny panicked.

The door swung open and Sunny found herself staring up at Fedora, who was staring, astonished, down at Sunny.

"Um…I, uh…" Sunny stammered. She quickly stood up, snatching her ribbon off the ground. "I was just looking for my ribbon," she said, holding it up and waving it for Fedora to see. "When I got upstairs, I found that I didn't have it, so I came back down here…"

Sunny blinked in uncertainty. Below the wide brim of his hat, she thought she saw a fleeting grin flicker across his lips.

"Sure," he murmured, as he shut the door and walked past her.

She watched him walk away. There was something about his casual saunter and carefree demeanor that struck a note in Sunny's memory. Where had she seen him before?

Slowly, she let herself sink to the floor. Sunny leaned her head against the wall and let herself recall the conversation she had just heard.

"I mean, now that we've got all the little brats convinced they're going to be Volunteers…"

"And you had to have Violet shot for the same reason."

"Wasabi indeed."

Sunny sat and stared at the wall on the other side of the hallway. It was almost too much for her to handle.

Just one thing stuck out in her mind.

Fiona.

Her eyes narrowed.

Fiona.

Sunny frowned deeply and swallowed. The same eyes that were still squinting in anger now filled up with tears. She hugged her knees and buried her face in her nightgown.

Oh Klaus.

You were right.

Violet had been shot. Klaus was gone. Her friends were her enemies.

Because of Fiona.

Sunny looked up, sniffling, and her moist eyes widened in shock and horror.

No, she thought. Because of me.

Sunny let out a sob and hot tears poured down her cheeks. It was true. Everything she had believed was a lie.

Klaus wasn't the traitor.

She was.