Disclaimer: Lemony Snicket owns A Series Of Unfortunate Events (or does he?). I own a suitcase, three shirts, socks, and a stolen top secret government file.
It was five days after the Poe incident when Olaf made an announcement.
"Children," he called from downstairs as the Baudelaires chatted in Klaus' room. The three stopped and descended the stairs to find the Count.
"As you may know, I'm an actor as well as a count, and I'm glad to announce the creation of my fifth production, The Marvellous Marriage, written and directed by me. I'm going to be spending quite some time working out the issues, so you might have to come with me to the theatre. I decided since you're to be spending so much time there, I was wondering if you'd like to have parts in the play?"
The Baudelaires smiled widely. "Oh yes, Count Olaf! We'd love to have roles in the play!" Responded Violet. The Count laughed merrily. "I knew you'd say yes," he said.
The next week or so was spent getting up early in the morning, dressing quickly, and spending up to ten hours at the theatre. The Baudelaires watched as costumes were sewn, lights were adjusted, actors and actresses sang and shouted. It was a wonderfully overwhelming experience.
The children were obviously more than surprised when Justice Strauss trotted over to them three days before the opening night. They weren't expecting to see their kindly neighbour in the backstage of a theatre, but then again, they didn't expect to see themselves in the backstage of a theatre. Living with Olaf had really opened their minds.
"Justice! What are you doing here?" Klaus questioned upon seeing the judge. The Baudelaires stopped what they were doing to look at the woman.
"Why, I'm playing the part of the, well, judge! Didn't Olaf tell you?" Justice smiled broadly.
"Kapootik?" Mumbled Sunny. This meant something along the lines of Justice Strauss is in Olaf's play but he never told us? Why doesn't Olaf tell us anything?
"Oh Justice, that's wonderful," Violet told their neighbour. "It'll be exciting to see you act."
Justice nodded in agreement. "Aren't you children in the play as well?" She asked. "What parts do you play?"
"Violet's the bride, and Sunny and I are part of the crowd." Klaus informed Justice. The woman's eyes lit up when she heard the boy.
"Violet, you're playing the bride? How lucky!" Violet laughed nervously. "I'm a little worried; I've never had acting experience before, and it's such a large part!" Justice patted Violet's hand reassuringly.
"Don't worry. You'll do great." She insisted.
"Thank you Justice," Violet said with a smile, although she was still quite anxious.
Everything was going great in Olaf's household until Sunny caught a cold. No one was sure who or where she got it, since no one around them was sick. Eventually they decided it was because of Mr. Poe, who visited them with a more terrible cough than usual a day ago.
Violet frowned as Sunny shook her head at the chicken soup sitting in a bowl in Violet's lap. She muttered, "Bafika," which was something about chicken soup being nasty and bland.
"Sunny, please eat the soup. You're going to be too sick to participate in the play," she pleaded. Still the youngest Baudelaire turned her head away, refusing to swallow even the tiniest bit of soup.
Across the room, a disgruntled Klaus sat in a chair, his shirt soaked in soup and noodles. His attempt at feeding his younger sister hadn't gone as desired.
Olaf entered the room, a worried expression in his face. He glanced at the damp Klaus and frustrated Violet, and the grumpy Sunny. He sighed.
"Sunny, eat your soup. You must be well if you want to perform," he said patiently, hoping he wouldn't end up covered in condiments like the middle Baudelaire. Still Sunny crossed her small arms and only grunted in reply. Olaf wanted to groan.
"Well, then, I suppose I'll move you to my room. You can wait there until you're better, so Violet won't catch your cold as well." With that the count lifted the baby and left the room. Violet and Klaus glanced at each other.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Klaus said. "Olaf can take care of her better than we can, that's for sure." Violet nodded silently. A part of her wanted to run off and snatch Sunny back, but at the same time, she knew she needed to trust Olaf.
"Yeah, she'll be fine," echoed Violet, lifting the bowl of soup and turning to the door.
The night before the performance, Count Olaf had left after dinner to finish last-minute touches to the play. He gave hasty instructions for the three children, and was out of the door in a snap. The Baudelaires read for a while before going to sleep, their nerves fluttering.
Violet had only been asleep for an hour or two before she heard faint coughing from Olaf's room. She rushed down the hall, but the door was locked. Sunny continued to cough loudly from the other side of the door, and Violet rattled the handle a few times. She couldn't find anything to pick the lock with, so she hurried back to her room.
The gears in her brain spun as she tied up her hair, searching for materials to create a new contraption. Soon enough Violet had created a grappling hook by taking apart the curtain and the rod it hung from. She snatched medicine from the kitchen on her way out the door. It was a ludicrous plan, but it sounded as if her sister was dying.
She shivered as the damp grass tickles her feet as she rushed across the lawn. The grappling hook was heavy in her right hand. She passed a pile of firewood, stacked neatly beside the house. The city was silent and dark, and Violet was terrified, but she shook her head and though about something her mother told her she learned from and associate: get scared later.
Violet stopped underneath the tower. It was on the second story, and the grappling hook wasn't of amazing quality, but her determination fuelled her faith that her invention would work. The oldest Baudelaire took a deep breath, then tossed the grappling hook high into the air. It missed the metal pipe sticking out from Olaf's window by a metre.
The hook fell to the earth with a thump, and Violet pulled it back towards her. She swung her arm and tossed it again, this time it struck the pipe with a loud clang. It fell again. Violet tried again, and then again, and then again. She was thinking about giving up when she threw her device one last time, listening for the clang, thump of the hook hitting the pole and falling to the ground. Instead, the was a sharp, cla–hmmm of metal hitting metal and a quiet humming of the pieces vibrating. Violet almost cheered for joy.
Tugging on the curtains a few times to make sure the line was secure, Violet gripped the cloth and began to scale the building. She pushed off the building and then returned, bouncing off the house as she pulled herself higher and higher. Violet reminded herself not to look down.
Finally he girl grasped the window sill and peeked into the room. She climbed into the window, which was, thankfully, unlocked. Sunny was still coughing, and terrifyingly enough, turning a bit blue.
Violet rushed to her side, pouring medicine into her sister's mouth. Sunny wheezed a few more times before taking a deep breath and stopping. Violet sighed with relief. She surveyed Olaf's room, slumping into a chair.
The room was small, but cozy. The bed with Sunny in it was placed in the corner across from the door. Next to the bed was a dresser with a lamp mounted on it. A bookshelf was beside the window. Like every room in the house, it was covered in paintings of eyes.
There was a sudden knock on the door, which scared Violet halfway to death. She rushed to unlock the door, and a sleepy-eyed Klaus stood dazedly in front of the door. "What's going on?" He mumbled. Violet explained the situation to her brother, and they both say quietly in front of the bed.
Sorry for not updating for a long time. I was pretty busy this week, and I'm also planning another story. (Not an ASOUE fic, it'll be about Minecraft)
Anyway, the name thing is still on, and will be until this story is done. If there are no suggestions (that I like), I'll stay as . Thanks!
"For Beatrice
Darling, dearest, dead."
-Lemony Snicket
(Jaguar)