One of the best feelings in the world, dear reader, is the feeling of accomplishment. There is nothing like looking back at all your hard work and admiring the finished product. For Sunny Baudelaire, this feeling was few and far between. That is why, when she finished a hard project, she had to look back and sigh finally.
"Finally," Sunny whispered to herself. She stepped back to admire her beautiful creation. She smiled and examined every intricate detail that took her the whole day.
She knew the cake needed to go into a freezer to preserve it for the big day, but she needed a moment to marvel at it. The cake itself was not too big, not too small. It was white with seafoam accents and small nautical designs.
"Not too bad," an unexpected voice chimed in from behind, startling her. "Not too bad for a thirteen-year-old."
"Oh, stop it, Klaus," Sunny rolled her eyes and laughed. She turned to see her brother leaning on the doorway to the kitchen.
"Ah, you know I don't mean it. You are incredibly talented. And this," he gestured to the cake. "I couldn't have done anything this magnificent at your age, that's for sure."
Sunny looked at him strangely. Klaus never talked much about himself when he was a child. She was worried that he was hiding something. Well, to be more precise, she always felt like there was a big story about their childhood that she was never told. Not by Klaus or their older sister, Violet. Sunny felt a weird sense of unease every time her or Beatrice, their younger sister, asked about the past. Violet and Klaus always seemed to give half answers to every question, like they knew more.
She decided to brush it off. Maybe if she didn't push it, he would tell her more. But he didn't.
"We should get this into the freezer. Let me help you," Klaus smiled and came over to help her transport it.
"Oh wait. The dome. I need to cover it," Sunny remembered and grabbed the dome from another table.
Once it was stored, they both worked on cleaning up the kitchen.
"Klaus?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't you think it is bad luck for the groom to see the cake before the wedding?"
He paused and shook his head, smiling. "I don't think so. I've never read anything on anything like that."
"Oh. Let's hope not."
"Don't worry, Sunny, everything will work out smoothly tomorrow, you will see," said Klaus. He wiped down the counter and threw the rag in the sink.
As they finished cleaning up, Sunny took her ribbon out of her long blonde hair and shook it out. She turned out the lights on their way out.
"Okay," she thought out loud, "It's late. You need sleep. Your wedding day is tomorrow."
"You're right. Of course, it is the groom's job to be radiant on his wedding day," he joked.
"Good night, Klaus," Sunny rolled her eyes and headed towards her room down the hall.
He bid her goodnight and headed up the stairs to his room.
Sunny brushed her teeth as quietly as she could, not to wake Beatrice. They had separate rooms, but shared a bathroom. She looked at her teeth in the mirror. She remembered a picture of herself from when she was an infant. They used to be very sharp until she lost them all and her dull adult teeth came in. The only exception were her canines, which still retained their sharpness. Like a vampire freak, she used to think. Or maybe, they were more wolf-like.
She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. It was quite late at that point and she had almost fallen asleep when she heard a quiet knock on her door.
"Beatrice?" Sunny asked, half-asleep. Beatrice used to knock on her door when she had nightmares, but not since she turned twelve at least.
"Sunny? I heard you walk down the hall. It's Violet. I… I can't sleep. Can I come in?" Violet whispered. She seemed off, like something was wrong.
Sunny sat up. "Of course."
Violet came in and sat on the bed while Sunny turned on the lamp. Violet looked at her sister with an aura that made her uneasy. She looked like she had been crying.
"Is something wrong, Vi?" Sunny wondered. Now she was worried.
Violet looked like she was dying to tell her every secret about their past. Her eyes looked like her soul was aching. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment. Violet's eyes were hurt and seemingly screaming to tell Sunny something important. Sunny's eyes were searching for answers. Anything.
Finally, Violet spoke. "It's silly."
"Obviously it's not. Why are you up?"
"Why are you up?" Violet threw the question back.
"I was finishing the cake. Tell me what's wrong," anger rose in her chest. She couldn't believe how obviously Violet and Klaus were hiding something from her.
"I… I just… I don't know if I can do tomorrow."
"Do tomorrow? Violet, our brother is getting married tomorrow. We need to be happy. I know I am. Why aren't you?" Sunny was mixed with feelings of worry and annoyance. Just tell me.
Violet sighed, annoyed with herself. "Just. Never mind. I am happy for him. I promise. I'm going to try and go back to bed. Night, Sunny."
Sunny had nothing to say back and just waited for Violet to turn off the lamp and close the door. She tried to shake off the weird conversation and focus on the next day.
"If she can't tell me," she told herself, "then she should not bring me into it." Because it's not fair.