The Baudelaire orphans gazed out at the endless desert in front of them that led to the bus stop. It was around noon, so it was during one of the hottest parts of the day. As they stared at the scorching desert, it reminded them of a frying pan; the sizzling air rising right before their very eyes.

"Well, we'd better get started," Violet announced. "It will take us at least a good four hours to get to the but stop."

"Yes," the newly-turned thirteen Klaus agreed. "The next bus out of V.F.D. arrives around 4:30, so we'll have to walk at a faster pace than normal if we plan to catch it."

Sunny was silent because she was still exhausted from running from the V.F.D. citizens. The children began their journey across the desert. When they finally reached their destination, Sunny was sleeping in Violet's arms and Klaus looked like he was about to fall asleep while on his feet. Violet and Klaus sat down on the bench and Violet began thinking about an invention that would help her reach her friends in their self-sustaining hot-air mobile home. Violet's mind appeared to be the only one that was not majorly affected by the orphans' lack of rest.

"Maybe I could invent some kind of tracking device to find Hector and the Quagmires up in the sky," Violet wondered aloud. "Maybe some kind of radar that could be set off by metal in the sky!"

"Hmmm," Klaus replied sleepily, "that could work. I remember reading in a book somewhere that some kids about our age tried that and it worked. Maybe you could put a tracker on the end of a stick about 15 feet long that had a telescope on the side."

"Even if that DID work, we'd still have to figure out some way to get up there."

Just then, they heard a low rumbling sound way off in the distance.

"That must be the bus," Klaus declared. When the bus came nearer, Sunny woke up.

"Welcome aboard, kids," the bus driver said with masked sarcasm. "It'll be $1.50 please. Where are you headed to?"

"Oh, back to Mr. Poe's office please," Violet said for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Okay, we're on our way," the bus driver announced. The next thing Violet knew, the bus was slowing considerably and they were in the middle of a city.

"Are we there?" Klaus asked Violet.

"I think so," Violet replied. "I must have drifted off. The last thing I remember was leaving V.F.D."

The bus turned onto a familiar street.

"Here!" Sunny said, which meant, "We're there!"

The bus pulled up and stopped at the corner where Mr. Poe worked.

"Off you kids get," the bus driver announced. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny piled off the bus. They took their time entering Mr. Poe's office. They weren't in a big hurry, because as soon as they got there they would be shipped off to live with more strangers.