Chapter 6
Writing this account of one of the last happy memories of the Snicket siblings makes me remember my own initiation, long before any of the unfortunate things that happened. I, too, was standing in that same hall and taking the same oath with my friends Kate and Yan. We all got the same tattoo and danced in the same reception hall at the annual masked ball. All three of us wore matching gowns: mine a dark brown, Kate's a brilliant hue of blue, and Yan's an entrancing scarlet. Back then, V.F.D. was a proud and noble organization and everything worked smoothly, and, if you prefer, you could assume that everyone lived happily ever after and just click the "x" button on the top right corner of your computer window and never read about the disastrous things that happened to these young adults after the official ending of their training.
As the ceremony progressed, Lemony became worried, not only for himself and his close friends, but also for the rest of the graduates. His eyes wandered from his siblings, the youngest ones, to a tall and skinny person who lemony was hardly familiar with, named Olaf.
Olaf seemed almost more nervous than Lemony. His long bony fingers made cracking noises as he fidgeted, and his long eyebrow moved as he looked around. This apparent nervousness nearly doubled Lemony's anxieties. "What if they change their minds?" he thought. "What if they make me do my training over again?"
But his anxieties soon proved to be unfounded. Within an hour, Lemony, Jacques, and Kit Snicket, as well as the rest of the graduating class, were all full members of V.F.D.
The friends all sighed with relief, congratulated each other, and began to enjoy the party. Throughout the night, the friends snacked on all types of delicacies, drank the most delicious punch, and danced.
Parties have a way of distracting people from their problems. I once was at a party and was having so much fun that I forgot about the fact that I needed to dodge my enemies and escape before I was caught. However, when parties last late into the night, the anxieties often resurface. Lemony's worries resurfaced that night after the wild music had calmed down and when the clock would soon chime midnight. Lemony saw his dancing friends. His brother and sister were dancing together, and not too far away was Sarah dancing with Dorian, and Samantha dancing with Daniel. Lemony sighed and joined Beatrice on the balcony.
"I'm still worried, Beatrice," he confided.
"You shouldn't," replied Beatrice.
"I know, but I just have a feeling that something awful is going to happen."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Lemony admitted. "But it's worrying me. I'm worried that it'll hurt Jacques or Kit or any of our friends! I'm worried," here he blushed. "That it'll hurt you."
"Don't worry. I won't let it." Beatrice and Lemony stared into each other's eyes and, for the first time, Lemony noticed that Beatrice's eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. They leaned towards each other. Their eyes closed and their lips almost touched.
Just then, Kit and Jacques ran onto the balcony with Samantha, Dorian, Daniel, and Sarah in tow.
"Guess what?" they yelled, jerking Lemony and Beatrice out of their bliss. "Dorian and Daniel have just proposed!"