Time to RESPOND!!!

Ophelia Russell: I hope you like the rest of her personality, then. I was a bit nervous about doing Esme, to tell you the truth.

Bellatrix Lestrange9: Hehe… You'll see soon enough! I'm glad you caught on to that! That'll be in the next chapter!

Chapter 21- Gone Without a Pumpkin

The two different types of reactions to unexpected news, as I said before, were soon used by the friends as Esme unveiled the surprise. Sarah simply stood there, stunned, as the action unfolded. Samantha and Kit, however, had no loss of words to say, and that soon became a problem.

"What are you…" Samantha began.

"Why on earth…" Kit interrupted. All those words were getting in the way. But that didn't stop everybody in the small shed from staring in complete surprise.

Esme noticed the stares that her bowl was attracting and started beaming with pride. "Like it?" she asked hurriedly. "I just found it in one of those ugly laboratories and thought it would look better at one of my tea parties."

Lemony, like Sarah, had also been at a loss of what to say. Now, however, he got over his initial shock and was back in his rational mindset. Still lying on his cot, he propped himself up so he was sitting up a little bit more and addressed Esme. "What are you doing with that?" he asked her.

"Getting two lumps, silly!" Esme said. "I'm sure this'll make this horrible tea taste bearable."

"Esme, please," he said softly. "You have to give it back to the volunteers."

Esme stuck her tongue out at him, a very rude thing to do to the person hosting a tea party.

"This sugar bowl is very important to the volunteers," Lemony continued. "They need it back."

"Then let them get another one. There are lots more sugar bowls around!"

"This one was special, though."

"Then all the more reason for me to keep it!" Esme yelled triumphantly. "Those unfashionable volunteers don't appreciate something like this!"

"Give it back, Esme!" Kit yelled as she stood up. "This is too important to the organization!"

Esme had an indignant look on her face, but Samantha chimed in. "It isn't yours, Esme. You should really give it back."

"Finders keepers," taunted Esme.

The audacity of Esme's reply finally made Kit snap. "You're part of this organization!" she yelled. "You can't be this selfish!"

Esme grew angry, put the bowl back into her bag with a huff, and walked towards the door. "Well, maybe I don't want to be a part of it anymore! If it won't let me be as in as I want, then maybe I'll leave. Then I'll keep it from ever being in ever again!" And with that, she stormed out of the shed, nearly falling over her ridiculous dress.

Kit was still upset, but Sarah, always cautious, spoke up. "She won't leave without going to the ball first. We could catch her there, and expose that she is as mean as she is obsessed with fashion."

"We still have to make sure she doesn't tell anybody about Lemony," Kit commented. "We'll keep an eye on her until then." She then turned to her older brother. "Stay here until Jacques gets here, okay? We need to know where you are while we're gone."

"The masked ball is tonight?" Lemony asked.

"Yes," Kit said as she grabbed her coat. "But you can't come. Nobody can be able to see you. If they do, your cover will be blown and you'll be back on the run again! Just stay here tonight." She pulled the covers back over his shoulders, her obvious concern plainly visible on her face.

"Don't worry about me," he replied.

"I'm already worried, Lemony. Be careful," Kit said as she walked out the door and into the fading light of that cool fall night.

What Lemony Snicket did next has been called many different things. Some have called it foolish, disastrous, and foolhardy, but as I stand here in this abandoned coffee shop typing out this woeful tale, I can only think of one word to describe what Lemony did after Kit Snicket, Samantha Quagmire, and Sarah Baudelaire's footsteps faded away. As he stood up from his be and grabbed his brother's disguise kit from the corner of the shed, only one word comes to my mind. As he left the shed in the most daring costume of his life, "brave" is the only word that comes to my mind.

I hope you'll like the next chapter! (Hint: What's up with Beatrice?) Hmmmm….

Don't hit me with your goldfish swords!!! Cowers….