Review Response Time:

Visualpurple: I'm glad you like the sugar bowl theory. That was the only way I could imagine that EVERYONE would want that sugar bowl.

Ophelia Russel: Boy, everybody wants to hear the masked ball scene, huh? That makes me worried that I'll disappoint all of you.

Bellatrix Lestrange9: No breaking the Esme! I hope your friends like this story.

Sun Lite Smiles: Well, as you'll see in this chapter, as well as the next, Esme has been malicious the whole time.

I found my notebook, so I'm going to re-rewrite the chapter as it was originally meant to be!

Chapter 22 – The Ball – Part One (take 2)

The great ballroom had been transformed into a beautiful, glimmering jewelry boz not even three hours since, but now people in glittering costumes and decorated masks were congregating in clumps around the punch tables and waiters with plates of snacks. Several brave souls were being the first to dance as the people at the tables watched with a kind of admiration and respect specially reserved for those who break the ice at parties.

Soon the first song ended and more couples began to slowly drift onto the dance floor and tentatively dance to the slow tune. One woman, however, was still lingering in the shadows, putting the finishing touches on some streamers that she was hanging up in the corner. A man walked up to her dressed as a snowman and lifted his hand to take hers. Together they walked out onto the dance floor.

She was dressed as a dragonfly, and her costume was fantastic. Her dress was light green and flowed in a way that made her look as if she was floating across the dance floor. Strapped to her back was a set of silvery wings. Her hair was both brown and blond and was tied up in a long, loose braid, and a green mask with a silver edge was cleverly attached to her glasses. She looked so stunning that many couples stopped dancing just so they could watch her. If she hadn't been so busy looking at the floor in embarrassment, she would've noticed one man dressed as a bullfighter who was leaning against a wall and watching her rather intently.

The song stopped and the dancers soon turned to look at a platform on which stood several frightened-looking young men and women. Usually, this was her favorite part of the ball, but the woman didn't feel like watching the initiation, so instead she walked out onto the empty balcony.

She looked around at the balcony as her mind wandered into the memories of years past. A tear rolled down her cheek and she gazed up at the stars. This balcony held special meaning to her from a time she feared would never come again.

A voice whispered in her ear. "Beatrice."

At the sound of her name, the woman took off her glasses so she could wipe her tears away. As she put her glasses back on, a person that she never thought she would see again came into focus. Standing before her was a very familiar man dressed as a bullfighter.

They stared at each other for an eternity of a minute, each seeming equally surprised. Eventually the man spoke first.

"I was so worried about you, Beatrice," he said, grabbing her hand gently. "Why didn't you visit me?"

"I just couldn't," Beatrice replied as fresh tears sprung to her eyes. She sat down at the railing of the balcony, turned away from him and began to sob quietly. "Oh, Lemony, I'm so sorry!"

The man, Lemony Snicket, put his hand on her shoulder in comfort. "What do you have to be sorry about?" he asked her softly. She continued to sob with her beautiful face buried in her arms. Her gloves were growing increasingly moist with the tears. He tried again to learn the source of her troubles. "What's wrong?" he finally asked.

She continued crying for a minute longer and then mumbled something that Lemony could scarcely hear. "What is it?" he asked again.

"Lemony," she said. "I'm engaged!" With that, she continued sobbing into her arms. "I didn't really want to, but I had to do it."

Lemony just stood there, stunned, as Beatrice continued. "They knew I loved you, and I still do, but they pressured me for so long, especially Peter. Whenever you were gone investigating fires, he would come to the library and talk to me. He was always nice to me, Lemony, and he was a good friend during your absences. People started telling me that I should just forget you and marry him, but I waited for you. But then you got in trouble and Esme pressured me to accept his proposal. She told me you were dead, so I had to accept.

"But then Jacques brought you here and I found out that you were actually alive. But if I broke up the engagement, the volunteers and Esme would know that I had found you and you would be caught. I didn't want you to be hurt because of me."

Lemony knelt down next to Beatrice and gently removed her mask and wiped away her tears. He handed her his handkerchief, and she promptly wiped off her eyes and looked at him apologetically. She opened her mouth to say something, but he stopped her and put his finger over her lips. Seeing that more tears were beginning to form at the sides of her eyes, he told her, "Don't speak of it any more."

In the ballroom, the other guests clapped as the initiation ceremony ended and a new song began to play. Lemony walked over and closed the curtained glass doors so they could just hear the sweet melody wafting in.

As he walked back over to her, he noticed her shiver and pull her thin shall tighter around her shoulders. He took off his bullfighter's cape and gently draped it over her shoulders. She gave him a grateful look and a weak smile.

He knelt next to her and looked deep into her eyes. All the tears had reddened the eyelids, but her blue eyes looked deep and beautiful. He put his hand on her knee and gently took her hand. Even with her red nose, puffy eyes, and tear-stained cheeks, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He raised up her hand and kissed it gently.

"Beatrice Tyler," he asked. "May I have this dance?"

Wow. Twenty-two chapters! It just seems like yesterday that the Snicket siblings were in the moving room full of armchairs awaiting their fate at VFD… And now I'm on my second notebook and over 127 handwritten pages (not typed, I mean). How time does fly!

I had been in anguish because, back in chapter 5, I said that Beatrice was wearing both glasses and a mask. Ever since then, I've been wondering how she did it. This chapter is my way of redeeming myself.

I hope you like this original version of the story. Sorry for making you wait and read bad versions. It'll all be good from now on, I assure you!