A/N: So yeah. I'm a sophomore, now, in my fourth semester of college. And things are gettin' crazy. But that's what happens to you when you're forced to finally grow up. Tuition payments and textbooks, guys. That's your future. Also, as you can see, I've changed my pen name.

So I'm here to update.

Woo!

Chapter 12

Klaus and Isadora walked hand in hand through the halls of Prufrock Prep toward the cafeteria for lunch. The weather that day seemed to mimic the way the two teens felt; the sky was a perfect blue, the clouds strewn about it were light and unthreatening, the breeze was gentle and soothing, and the sun unoppressive and warm.

Klaus broke the contented silence between the two of them as they walked.

"You realize that now we're together, you'll never hear the end of it from Carmelita," he said, looking over at her. "Not that I mind, of course." He squeezed her hand gently.

"Oh, it's not like I was popular," said Isadora with a smile. "I'm always hearing it from her. We both do. Besides, I think she's just jealous." She winked playfully at Klaus as she finished speaking.

"Mmmhmm..." Klaus said through a grin as Isadora giggled softly. He put an arm around her waist, pulling her behind a pillar in the hallway, where the two immediately began to kiss.

Isadora broke away for air, taking the time to study Klaus' eyes. "I never expected this to happen," she began, "but I'm glad it did. For the first time, in so long-"

Klaus put his index finger to her lips, cutting her off. "We've been happy," he finished. He removed his finger and pressed a kiss softly to her lips. "We've been happy," he said again, wrapping Isadora in his arms.

"Not for long," said a voice further down the hallway in a quiet sneer to herself. She had been eavesdropping on the two since class had started, and now was her chance. Hiding behind another pillar, the woman pressed a button on a walkie talkie she'd been carrying. "It's time," she spoke quietly into it. "They're behind the pillar in front of the broom cupboard across from Mr. Hendricks' room."

"Good work," the voice on the other end rasped back to her. The woman stowed the device. She walked away from the site where she had staked the two unfortunate lovers out. The plan was in motion. She smiled, hearing a scream that had just issued from further back, a defiant "NO!" and a hasty scuffling against the floor, and then the sound of footsteps running her way. She smiled and righted the welding mask on her face, slipping into the broom cupboard behind her stakeout point, laughing quietly to herself as Klaus Baudelaire raced worriedly down the corridor.

Klaus panted, coughed and sputtered, slumping against the shallow garden wall of a breezeway that connected to another of the dismal, tombstone-shaped buildings of the school. Dragging himself into a shadow, he tried his best to regroup. He knew that the smart, responsible thing to do would be to tell Violet, Duncan, and Sunny what had happened, but he was a man in love. One rash action demanded another, and he had no time to waste.

Invigorated by his new resolve, he got up and sprinted back the way he had come, a fire in his heart and adrenaline potent in his veins. It was now or never.

Violet walked the campus swiftly with Sunny in her arms, Duncan hot on her heels. Her voice shook slightly as she spoke, the three of them rushing toward the Orphans' Shack, to confirm that neither Klaus nor Isadora had returned from class.

"Klaus wouldn't miss a meal, not after what we had to endure at the mill," Violet said unsteadily. "This isn't normal. Something terrible must have happened."

Duncan tried fervently to assuage their growing fears. "They probably wanted privacy. They're together now, and they might've wanted to be alone." He was unsure as he spoke, most likely trying to convince himself that the two were all right. "We need to check while we're here, anyway."

As they reached the shack, the sun was all but hidden up above. The wind that had been so gentle earlier blew harder and cold now, the clouds above threatening to rain as the sky turned ominous.

"I'm betting you anything this is Olaf's doing. They can't be in here," Violet said.

Violet handed Sunny over to Duncan and turned the handle of the door to the empty Shack, immediately grasping for her hair ribbon as she ushered the two inside. She knew for a fact that they needed an idea, and they needed it fast.

A/N: Ooh, now we're getting somewhere. I was actually rather proud of this chapter. I think this was some of my best writing thus far. Reading back, my writing style has definitely changed. Stay tuned, because this can only get better. Review!