Begin!

~Quigley's POV

Jacques told me that my siblings had met the Baudelaires at Prufrock. I don't know what their relationship is like in detail, but my family has always been very easy to get along with; I still don't know anything about the Baudelaires themselves though. It's wonderful to know that Duncan and Isadora aren't so alone at that school anymore, but I'm still alone here.

I looked at my picture of Fiona once more and sighed. "I wish I was with you too, doll," I muttered to myself.

I'm so glad I'm alone in the house right now because people might think I'm going crazy...

Just this morning I got another telegram from Fiona with some interesting news. She said their cook Mari had returned to working for V.F.D.'s main operation so they hired a replacement. She said his name was Phil, and that he was extremely nice. I don't know if I'd ever see Mari again, but she was my friend too and I wish her well. During our conversation she also gave me a bit of bad news: she would have to stop contacting me after this. Their new mission required daily use of their telegraph, and she convinced her stepfather to let me know first so I don't freak out. I understood, after all I can't do anything about it, and sent her a final message telling her I would be ok and that I miss her.

After 11 days, Jacques had been sent to Prufrock to save Jacqueline's boyfriend Larry from some trouble. It was then that we learned that Olaf showed up at the school. Forget being worried about people I've never met, now I'm worried about my siblings again...

I had a small fight with Jacques after he came back to the house from helping Larry. I wanted to go to Prufrock. I needed to protect my siblings; cover be damned I'm sure there was something I could do! Jacques wouldn't have any of it. He understood my problems and reminded me that he was just concerned as I am, but he simply cannot let me do that. I was mad... but he's right. I remembered how terrified I was when I was almost caught by villains the day I met Fiona. I wasn't ready to be on my own yet.

The Daily Punctilio gave me something new the next day though. I had been somewhat conditioned from my journalist nerd older brother to never trust the newspaper because they have a habit of printing only lies and misleading information. So I have been avoiding reading it myself recently. But today I found the paper on the desk Jacques was using in Monty's house and the picture caught my attention. My siblings were on the cover, along with some other kids, and a man in a strange looking gym teacher outfit. I asked Jacques about it and he said the man was Count Olaf in disguise and the other children were the Baudelaires. The picture appeared to have been taken during a pep rally as there were a bunch of other students in the crowd.

At last I finally got to see these people who were so crucial to the organization. Yes it had actually been this long before I got to know what they looked like. There was the girl Violet, long dark hair, attractive features; I'm a taken man, doesn't mean I can't recognize it when I see it. I wonder if Duncan has tried sweet-talking her though. My brother was never good with girls, he's too shy. Then there was Violet's brother, I've been told his name was Klaus; he had the same black hair as his sister and similar features covered by a pair of glasses. He looked like a smart guy... I don't like how close he was standing to Isadora though. In Violet's arms was their one year old sister Sunny. That kid is honestly a dentist's nightmare because what the hell is up with those teeth?! Note to self, don't let the kid bite you...

I took another look at my siblings. Duncan had gotten taller since I last saw him. His hair was still neat and well-kept, unlike mine. We're identical triplets so we have to put effort into making our appearances distinct; though Duncan is still less handsome than me. Isadora looked more grown up than before. She is the youngest, but only on a technicality. It felt good to see my family, even if it was just a picture in an unreliable newspaper; it let me know they were still with me somehow.

Unfortunately, the next time I'd hear my siblings' names was 10 days later when they did something fucking insane: they got themselves kidnapped. Jacques could tell I was in a bad emotional state. I may or may not have thrown a book across the room when he told me the news.

"Why? How? I know them! They're not dumb enough to get involved in this!"

"Quigley, I know how it feels I've got siblings I care about too! My brother is off the radar in mourning, and my sister is going to have a baby in these dangerous times! But getting angry isn't going to do anything to help."

Once again, my guardian was right. "But why did they do it?"

"Here dry your eyes." He handed me a tissue, I didn't even notice I had started crying.

He continued in a gentler tone, "I don't know that just yet. But I need to go, Jacqueline just called a taxi for someone and she sent me personally. I'll be back later."

I nodded in understanding and sat down in the reptile room to contemplate the situation. I pulled out my commonplace book to look at Fiona once more so I wouldn't feel so alone.

"Why... why did they have to get involved? Whatever it was I hope it was a damn good reason..."

~…

"I'm back! And I brought a friend!"

A friend; must be another volunteer I haven't met yet. I went into the main hall and saw Jacques helping an unfamiliar lady with her bags; apparently they had also brought food which was much more interesting to me. The woman was about Jacques age, had glasses and a warm, pretty smile.

She looked at me and stared in shock, "Duncan?!"

I laughed, "Well that hasn't happened in a while! No ma'am, I'm Quigley."

"Quigley! But your siblings told me you were dead!"

She set down her bag and quickly enveloped me in a tight hug. Jacques took the bags into the kitchen to put away our food as the woman introduced herself.

"My name is Olivia Caliban, up until 2 days ago I was the librarian at Prufrock. I know Duncan and Isadora, they're wonderful people. Jacques said I can help him find them."

I perked up a bit at that. "You know them? Can you answer a question for me?"

"Of course; what is it?"

"Why were they kidnapped?"

Olivia sighed, "I got to talk to the Baudelaires before they went off with their banker friend. They told me everything."

And so she told me what happened: my siblings risked their lives to keep the Baudelaires from getting expelled and got kidnapped in the process because their plan backfired.

"Ok I guess that's a damn good reason..." I muttered in response. "But why did they do something so drastic to keep the Baudelaires around?"

Olivia smirked a little, "Well they spent all their free time in the library, and from where I was standing, it looked like they were quite taken with each other if you know what I mean..."

I smiled at that. Hopefully, I'll be able to meet the Baudelaires soon since my siblings are so fond of them.

She then started fussing over my roguish appearance like my mother used to, "You need a haircut."

I pulled away from her at that. "Ah, no thanks! I like my hair just fine!"

"And why is that?"

"Because my girlfriend likes my hair this way," I replied, smiling fondly thinking about Fiona again. (My original excuse was "girls like my hair," it's been recently changed.)

"You have a girlfriend; well I'm sure you'd look more handsome if you cut it."

"Not for Fiona, she likes my hair. And I want to look good for her when I get to see her again."

I quickly explained why we couldn't be together right now and Olivia seemed to understand. Once Jacques came back, I was telling Olivia how I escaped my fire and she told me how she was the only adult at Prufrock who was nice to my siblings. She was an orphan herself so she knows how it feels.

It was too dangerous for me to try to help with their plan to find them. That's alright though; I stayed in my room reading as Jacques worked with Olivia on their plan to search 667 Dark Avenue.

They, um, looked like they wanted to be alone... watching adults flirt is kind of gross. But I could tell they liked each other. Jacques was pretty suave and charming towards our new recruit. They were a good match for each other.

Jacques and Olivia trained for several days before going to Dark Avenue and searching for my siblings. They left me with enough food to survive for now, and I gave them a wish of luck, Jacques left me a spyglass this time saying it was a good idea for me to have one, Olivia gave me another warm hug, and I was left alone in the house once more.

I wish I had known this was the last time I would see either of them...

~…

Olaf escaped with my siblings again; I learned it from the mislabeled names in the papers. (Why were there papers still being delivered here anyway? Don't they know the guy who lived here is dead?) The Baudelaires were apparently being moved to a place called the Village of Fowl Devotees; rolls right off the tongue.

Jacques hasn't come back yet... I assume he and Olivia had to chase Olaf out to this village. God I hope they find my siblings soon...

Crash

I heard a loud crash from the reptile room and ran in there to find someone had tossed a lit torch through the window. Shit! I grabbed my backpack, stuffed it with any small bits of food I could carry, made damn sure I had my commonplace book in my pocket, and opened the trap door under Monty's scientific library so I could escape. I already died in one fire I'm not doing it again! I didn't know where I was going, but I was safe in the V.F.D. tunnel system once more...

"Guess I should just start walking then..."

I took out my notebook and started mapping out the tunnels to pass the time. I walked for hours, I had a watch this time around, and eventually I came to another trap door. I opened it and found myself in an abandoned optometrist's office. I looked outside to find a ruined town that looked like it was burned down years ago. But the best part is that it was empty and surrounded by forest. Finite Forest to be exact; and I've studied maps of this forest before. I'm sure I can make my through, maybe even find a volunteer to help me.

I went outside and started my journey, and not but a couple hours into walking I saw something immensely helpful: a group of kids and an adult wearing Snow Scout uniforms and covering their faces with fencing masks. I listened in on their conversation to find they were on their way to their annual hike to celebrate False Spring in the Mortmain Mountains.

"The Mortmain Mountains, huh... that gives me an idea."

I stealthily took a spare mask from their pile of supplies and quickly covered my face with it. Looking just like my siblings would cause problems if any of these people read the papers. And I talked to the scout leader Bruce about staying with them temporarily. He accepted and I began my journey to the mountains with the scouts.

Though I really wish the one with the filly pink skirt would shut up...

~End of Chapter!

Yay for a little Jalivia in this part, as small as it is!