Chapter Five

Violet was excited.

She was following Dewey Denouement through the corridors of the V.F.D. Headquarters towards what Kit Snicket had called the training area. It surprised her when she ended up stopping at a door labelled D. Denouement, which Dewey opened, ushering the children inside.

Violet, Klaus and Arlo found themselves in a small office. There was an oak desk in the centre of the room, with four wooden chairs; three on one side, one on the other. There was a bookshelf by the window on the white wall behind the desk, which gave a breathtaking view out onto the lake at the foot of the waterfall. The room may have been rather small, but it was very pleasant indeed.

"Please take a seat," said Dewey Denouement, gesturing to the three seats by the desk, which the children sat in gracefully. He then closed the door quietly and sat opposite them in the chair by the window, brushing aside some of the papers on his clustered desk to make room to rest his arms.

"Now, children," he said authoritatively, speaking more like a parent than a friend. "We need to work out what to do with you." This put Violet at edge slightly, as even though Dewey had meant nothing threatening, his choice of words left much to the imagination. She pushed her uncertainties aside as Dewey continued his explanation. "As Kit previously explained, you will learn all the core V.F.D. skills that we need in our organisation, but you will also take classes in one topic of your choice. This could be anything from applied physics," - Dewey paused for a moment, gesturing to Arlo, who merely nodded as a reply - "to carpentry to analytical research, which was my own area of expertise. As I don't know either of you very well, Baudelaires, I can't offer much guidance in this. Tell me, what interests do you have?"

"Well, I'm a keen inventor, like Arlo," Violet said confidently, turning to smile at her friend sitting on her right. "Applied physics would be fine for me."

Dewey paused for a moment to find a file from one of the drawers in his desk. He grabbed a pen from a pot in the windowsill behind him and wrote down Violet's chosen subject. "Applied physics," he murmured as he jotted it down before turning to Klaus. "And what about you, Klaus?" he asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, really," Klaus shrugged. "I've always been interested in a lot of things."

"That's because you're a keen reader," Violet said helpfully. "What if you did something like Dewey? Would you enjoy being a researcher?"

"Yes, actually," Klaus said, smiling. "I'd love to be a researcher."

"So, you'd like to do a researching course?" Dewey asked, mirroring Klaus' smile. A researcher himself, he loved to see young people who shared his passion for reading.

"Yes please," Klaus replied.

"Any specifics?" Dewey asked. "Would you rather journalism, analytical research, rhetorical analysis or something else?"

"I don't really mind," Klaus said. "As long as it means a lot of reading."

"I'm sure I can sort that for you," Dewey said as he wrote Klaus' choice down on another file. "Now, why don't you two head back to the council hall? I'm sure one of my associates there will lead you to your new dormitories."

"What about Arlo?" Violet asked. "Isn't he coming with us?"

"No, he won't be," Dewey said. "He has already completed the first stage of V.F.D. training, and won't be in your classes." This statement disappointed Violet, as she was looking forward to spending more time with the young inventor, who she had become close friends with during her travels. Like Klaus, Violet hadn't heard from any of her old school friends since the terrible fire that destroyed her home, but she found that she didn't mind all that much when she was with Arlo. When she was busy working with him on some project or another, she could almost forget the troubles of the world. He made her feel safe.

"However, you will still be able to see him around the Headquarters outside of classes, as he'll be staying here for the next stage of his training, at least for the foreseeable future," Dewey added, which made Violet feel somewhat better.

"What will he be doing?" she asked.

"That is for Arlo and I to discuss," Dewey said, standing up from the desk, indicating to the Baudelaires that their presence was no longer required in his office. He walked to the door, and held it open as Violet and Klaus walked out of his office.

"Thank-you," Violet said politely to Dewey as Klaus started walking down the corridor towards the council hall.

"It's my pleasure, Baudelaires," Dewey replied. "I hope you enjoy your stay here at the Headquarters," he said, his voice full of kindness.

"I'm sure we'll see you soon, Dewey," Klaus said, and with that, the Baudelaire siblings disappeared down the corridor, feeling better than before. Dewey smiled as he watched them walk away before walking back into his office, shutting the door once more before sitting down opposite Arlo.

"Now, Thursday," Dewey said as he searched through the drawers of his desk before pulling out a large file. "I trust that you've passed your units comfortably?"

"Mostly," Arlo shrugged as a reply. "I scored 'Competent's in most, with 'Outstanding's in Code Manipulation and Use of Initiative."

"Very good," Dewey smiled. "Any 'Incomplete's?"

"One," Arlo admitted. "Disguise Training." Arlo had been trained away from the Headquarters like many of V.F.D.'s members, taught privately by his parents, or in Arlo's case, his father. His mother had been killed fighting for the volunteers some years before (he didn't know how or why), so his father had completed the first stage of training with him in the Verdant Valley by the time he was fourteen. In the year since then, Arlo had spent his time as he wished, using his knowledge to construct hand-gliders that he'd designed himself, and spent hours testing them in the valley where he'd grown up.

"I guess you're prepared enough for the second stage of V.F.D. training," Dewey concluded, and slid a large file across the desk to Arlo, and the young man picked it up, reading it.

"It's a list of all forty-eight active V.F.D. council members, ordered by their contribution to the organisation," Dewey explained. "I assume you're familiar with the second stage of training, Thursday?"

Arlo nodded. He knew that all neophytes would become apprenticed to more experienced members from graduation after stage one until adulthood as part of their training.

"One of the names on that list will become your chaperone, Thursday," Dewey continued. "It's up to you to decide who that will be."

Arlo scanned his eyes down the list from #1 Dewey Denouement to #48 Gustav Sebald, hoping for a name to stand out to him. He skimmed past #4 Beatrice Baudelaire, Violet's mother, and #6 Kit Snicket before his eyes settled on #26 Daniel Thursday. His own father. But he quickly checked across the columns to see that he already had an apprentice, listed as Anna Thursday, 13. His younger sister, who had cared more about her training than he had, was offered a place to work with his father before he was. He spotted #19 Hector (their surname was illegible in Dewey's scrappy handwriting), who had given Arlo specialist lessons about the laws of flight two summers ago, the last time that Arlo had visited the V.F.D. Headquarters. But now Dewey's list had a side comment about Hector, who was apparently away on a mission in the Village of Fowl Devotees, and was unable to acquire an apprentice.
Finally, Arlo saw a name that stood out to him, and was an eligible - a word which here means "suitable, and not away on a mission or already with another apprentice" - chaperone; #13 Lemony Snicket.

"If possible, I'd like to work with Lemony Snicket," Arlo told Dewey confidently.

"Lemony?" Dewey said incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Arlo said, flicking his long black hair away from his face as he smiled. "I want to work under him."

"I'll see what I can do," said Dewey, although Arlo could tell that he was unsure.

"What's the problem?" Arlo asked.

"Well, to tell the truth, Lemony has never chaperoned anyone in twenty years," Dewey admitted. "He does a very good job on his own. I'll have to ask him about it."

"Isn't your policy that all council members have to become chaperones if asked?"

"Yes, but-"

"-Then what's the problem?" Arlo snapped, although he immediately regretted it. He understood that although it was infuriating, he had to respect the authorities. He was used to having a free rein in the Verdant Valley, where he could do as he pleased, and wasn't fond of all of V.F.D.'s rules and regulations. But he knew that he had to conform - where "conform" here means "obey" - if he wanted to help Violet.

"I'll go and speak to him," Dewey said, getting up from his desk once more. "In the meantime, I suggest that you head to the canteen. You must be hungry after your journey this morning."

"Come in, Thursday."

Arlo slowly opened the door into another office, not unlike Dewey Denouement's apart from the blue carpet on the floor. The only other difference was the man behind the desk. The man was formally dressed in a shirt and tie, and had medium length dark brown hair above his excited brown eyes. He seemed to have nervous mannerisms, as though he thought that he was always being watched. This was Lemony Snicket, the youngest of the three Snicket siblings, at forty-two years of age.

"Please, take a seat," he gestured kindly, and Arlo sat down opposite him.

"Dewey Denouement has informed me that you wish to become my apprentice," Lemony said matter-of-factly, a phrase which here means "with little emotion". "And I have agreed to accept your request."

"So, I'm your apprentice?" Arlo said, smiling.

"Yes," Lemony confirmed. "But before we start on any of your training, I need to lay down a few ground rules." Lemony leaned forward in his chair, causing Arlo to do the same, before continuing.

"My name is Lemony Snicket," he said bluntly. "You shall call me Snicket. Or Lemony. Take your pick. I shall call you Thursday. I am here to help you complete your training within this organisation, where I hope you will follow by example as you learn the roles of a V.F.D. agent. You already have the skills from stage one of training. Your time with me will teach you how and when to apply what you have learnt. As much as I may hope that we become friends, you are first and foremost my apprentice. That means that you take orders from me, and that my decision is final on any matter."

Arlo groaned inwardly, a phrase which here means that he disliked what his chaperone had said, but was too polite to say so. Yet more rules for him to follow. Yet another authority figure.

"I am currently without a mission," Lemony continued. "So we have little to do at the moment."

"Why haven't you got anything currently?" Arlo asked.

"You may know already, Thursday, that I have only recently rejoined the organisation," Lemony answered. "After years in hiding from the authorities - a phrase which here means 'avoiding capture for crimes I didn't commit' - I've returned to the organisation to aid in the schism, which hasn't been kind to our side in recent years." Lemony paused once again, and Arlo took the opportunity to ask another question.

"Are you looking for a case?" Arlo asked eagerly.

"Yes," was Thursday's blunt reply. "I hope that the council allow me to have control of the Baudelaire case,"

"The Baudelaire case?"

"Yes, Thursday, I just told you that. You are an apprentice, not a mynah bird. You don't need to repeat me."

"Why, though? What is important about the Baudelaire case, Lemony?" Arlo asked, even though he thought that working on the Baudelaire case would be a perfect scenario. However, his chaperone's face darkened when he asked the question, and Lemony leaned in towards him, speaking quietly yet with authority.

"I like you, Thursday," he said. "You seem to be an intelligent and inquisitive young man. It is good to ask questions. But listen to me carefully, Thursday. If you ask all the wrong questions, nothing good will come of it. I may not have approved of your asking this time, but let's just say that I have connections with one of the persons involved."

Arlo raised an eyebrow at this and looked at his chaperone in a different light for the first time. As Arlo sat there in his office, he wondered what connections Lemony Snicket had with the Baudelaire family, and what made him so keen to bring Beatrice and Sunny Baudelaire back.