⇗ Chapter 4

Over the next few days, the Baudelaires were forced by Coach Genghis to run laps all night long, causing them to be extremely tired. Sunny still had to make staples, (Sabine's supply had run out already), and Violet and Klaus kept falling asleep in class.

"This is getting ridiculous," Isadora said when Sunny updated her siblings and friends at the start of another weary lunch. "Look at you, Sunny. It was inappropriate to hire you as an administrative assistant in the first place, and it's absurd to have you crawl laps by night and make your own staples by day."

"Don't call my sister absurd or ridiculous!" Klaus snapped, suddenly getting upset for seemingly no reason.

"I'm not calling her ridiculous!" Isadora said defensively. "I'm calling the situation ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous means you want to laugh at it," said Klaus, who apparently was not too tired to define words, "and I don't want you laughing at us."

"I'm not laughing at you," Isadora said. "I'm trying to help."

"Well, laughing at us doesn't help at all, you cakesniffer."

Isadora gasped. "Calling me names doesn't help either, Klaus."

"Mumdum!" Sunny shrieked.

"Oh, stop it, both of you," Duncan said. "Isadora, clearly Klaus is just too sleep deprived to understand you're not trying to be rude."

"Tell me about it," Klaus mumbled. He took his glasses off and dropped his head on the table. "I'm sorry, Isadora. Being tired makes me crabby. In a few days I'll turn as nasty as Carmelita Spats."

Isadora shook her hand and patted his hand softly. "You'll never be as nasty as Carmelita Spats," she reassured him.

"Carmelita Spats?" Violet asked, lifting her head from her tray. She had dozed through Isadora and Klaus's argument but woken up at the sound of the horrible girl's name. For the past week or so, she'd been the one to inform them that they had to run all night for Coach Genghis' special exercise program. "She's not coming here again to tell us to do laps, is she?"

"I'm afraid she is," Duncan said exasperatedly, gently cupping Violet's head and bringing it to his shoulder. She snuggled into him appreciatively, clearly very glad to have something to rest on besides her plastic lunch tray.

"Hello, cakesniffers," Carmelita Spats said as she approached. "Today I have two messages for you, so I should really get two tips instead of one."

"Oh, Carmelita," Klaus said. "You haven't gotten a tip for the last nine days, and I see no reason to break that tradition."

"That's because you're a stupid orphan," Carmelita Spats said promptly. "Anyways, message number one is the usual: meet Coach Genghis on the front lawn right after dinner."

Violet gave an exhausted groan. "And what's the second message?" she asked.

"The second message is that you must report to Vice Principal Nero's office right away," Carmelita said bubbly.

"Vice Principal Nero's office?" Klaus asked. "Why?"

"I'm sorry," Carmelita Spats said with a nasty smile to indicate that she wasn't sorry one bit. "I don't answer questions from non-tipping orphan cakesniffers."

Sabine was very tempted to throw her lunch right in Carmelita's freckled face, but somehow managed to contain herself. 'Somehow' meaning she jabbed her plastic fork into her own leg and pressed it harder when the image of green mush in Carmelita's hair flashed through her mind.

Some children at the neighboring table laughed when they heard the insults Carmelita was throwing and began banging their silverware on the table.

"Cakesniffing orphans in the Orphans Shack! Cakesniffing orphans in the Orphans Shack!" they chanted as Carmelita Spats giggled and skipped off to finish her lunch.

Sabine's fork broke. She stood abruptly, ready to hit someone. "Shut up!" she shouted at the chanting children. The whole cafeteria went silent, everyone staring at her in shock. She hadn't ever talked to any of her other classmates, let alone yelled at them. "Stop with the incessant chanting. I'm gonna lose my mind if I hear it one more time!"

Her throat closed up and her eyes began to burn with unshed tears. She was so sick and tired of the bullying, and she really was going to lose it on someone if it didn't stop soon. She quickly cleared her tray and turned to the Baudelaires.

"Are we going to see Nero or what?" she asked, trying to distract herself so she wouldn't cry.

"I-I think it was just supposed to be me and my siblings," Violet stuttered. Clearly she, too, was surprised by Sabine's outburst.

"Nonsense. The Quagmires and I are coming too," Sabine said, grabbing her backpack. "We know how scary Nero is, but it's better knowing a friend is nearby."

Violet nodded and stood. "Yeah... Well, okay. If you want to."

Sabine took a deep breath. "I do." She turned to the Quagmires. "You coming?"

Isadora was already standing, and gave Sabine's arm a soft squeeze. "Yes, we'll come along."

"I wonder what Nero wants," Klaus said, yawning as he stood as well.

Sabine was grateful that her friends weren't dwelling on the fact that she'd snapped. All six children gave their empty trays to the lunch staff, then walked out of the cafeteria.

"Maybe he's discovered that Genghis is really Olaf, all by himself," Isadora said, and the Baudelaires smiled back.

The six of them walked to the administrative building, the Quagmires and Sabine lightly chatting, the Baudelaires mostly silent from exhaustion.

Once they made it there, Sabine and the Quagmires wished their friends luck, and then the Baudelaires stepped into the scary, tomb-like building.

"I hope I never have to go in there again," Sabine shuddered.

"Same here," Duncan agreed.

The three of them leaned against the wall. Duncan had taken out his journal and was focused on it, and Isadora took the opportunity to whisper to Sabine, "Hey. You okay?"

Sabine shrugged, the lump returning to her throat. "Yeah. I just lost my temper, I guess."

"I'm sorry. Getting bullied really sucks."

"I can deal with it when people are mean to me. I just hate it when everyone is mean to you guys."

"Oh, Sabine... We're okay. You don't have to worry about us."

"But I do." She sighed, and swiped at her eyes. "You're the only family I have anymore..."

Isadora sighed, too, and hugged Sabine tightly for a long while. Sabine just melted into her, and after a minute, she felt better. Eventually, Isadora let go, and they went back to just leaning against the wall.

"Hey, what do you always draw in that notebook of yours, Sabine?" Duncan randomly asked.

Sabine smiled, glad he had changed the subject, and to something she loved so much, too. She pulled her purple journal out of her thick wool sweater and opened it up. "Maps," she said. "My father was a cartographer, and I want to follow in his footsteps." Her voice cracked in sadness at the mention of her father, but the familiar purple journal comforted her.

"Quigley was a cartographer," Isadora said quietly.

"And he had a purple notebook too," Duncan added with a sad smile.

Sabine remembered Quigley's dark, intense eyes fixed on her in class that day. It seemed like a lifetime ago, though it couldn't have been more than a month or two. She thought back to how oddly safe she felt in his gaze; the look in his eyes made her feel like he cared, and he would protect her at all costs.

She sighed and flipped through her journal, looking over all the maps, but paused when she saw strange notes on a few of the pages. The handwriting wasn't hers, but it was vaguely familiar. They were little tips on better map making, how to draw certain things, and small words of encouragement.

"What?" Isadora asked when she noticed the confused look in Sabine's eyes.

"Do you recognize this handwriting?" she asked, pointing to one of the notes that simply said, "Lovely".

Isadora gasped and ran her finger over the blue ink, her eyes welling with tears. "I-it's Quigley's..." she choked.

Duncan perked up, then rushed to Sabine's side and looked over her shoulder at the journal. "What's Quigley's?" he asked.

"Th-the writing," Isadora stammered, gently taking the notebook from Sabine and looking over all the notes.

Duncan looked at the notes as well, and another smile lit up his face. "Oh, yeah," he chuckled. "He had a huge crush on Sabine, remember?"

Sabine blushed and looked down at the ground. Butterflies welled up in her stomach, and she fought hard to keep the smile off her face.

"He must have written these when you guys accidentally switched journals that one time," Isadora said.

"That probably wasn't an accident," Duncan admitted with a laugh. "At least, not on Quigley's part."

Sabine couldn't help but giggle as she took her notebook back from Isadora and poured over all the notes Quigley had left for her. Most of the notes were really good, helpful tips on how to be a cartographer, but the small amount of notes that were just him praising her filled her heart with a strange sort of glee.

When she flipped to a page that had notes from geography class on it, she blushed deeply at what Quigley had written.

"You have gorgeous handwriting, my dear. It's almost as gorgeous as you, but really nothing can compare to your smile."

Even from the grave, he managed to make her feel special, loved.

Back before the fire that burnt down the Quagmire mansion, Quigley was one of her closest friends. She had never talked to Duncan much, but she always felt like she had a bond with Quigley.

He would give her hand a gentle squeeze if he knew she was nervous about something, and all her worries would fade away. A slight smile in her direction from him when she was upset, and suddenly everything was better. He would crack a joke at just the right time, and any frustration she was feeling miraculously disappeared.

She was completely entranced by the bittersweet memories, and Duncan and Isadora gave her some space to think.

Sabine sank down into the dry grass, her precious journal clutched to her heart, and reflected on everything that had happened to her in the past few years. Quigley was by far the best thing she ever had. She felt hot tears sting her eyes, and she realized with shock that she hadn't really mourned over the death of Quigley. So, she allowed herself a few moments to let silent tears drip down her face.

Another realization hit her hard and it took her a minute to comprehend it. "I loved him," she finally choked out in a hoarse whisper.

"Hmm?" Isadora asked, coming over to sit by Sabine.

"Quigley. I loved him. Still do," she said.

"Well, he was head over heels for you," Isadora said with a quiet laugh. The girls laid back on the grass and looked at the clouds in silence for a moment.

"I miss him," Sabine admitted softly.

"So do I," Isadora agreed.

"I think we all do," Duncan sighed.

"I can't believe the world is still spinning without him," Sabine murmured. "He was the light of my life."

Isadora let out a sigh in agreement, then shut her eyes tightly.

Sabine did the same and pictured Quigley in her mind. A stabbing pain tore at her chest, and more hot tears fell down her face. She tried to calm herself down, but the tears kept falling.

"Are you okay, Sabine?" Violet asked after she and her siblings came out of the administrative building to meet with their friends again.

Sabine quickly sat up and rubbed her swollen eyes, wiping the stinging tears away. "Uh, yeah. Just.... thinking," she responded with a fake smile.

"What did Nero want?" Duncan asked, walking up to Violet and lightly brushing his fingers against her arm. She blushed and hooked her pinky around his for a split second, causing his cheeks to turn pink as well.

Isadora rolled her eyes at her brother, but then blushed herself when Klaus lightly pressed his shoulder against hers as they stood side-by-side.

Sabine's heart hurt at the sight, and she found herself desperately wishing for Quigley to be there at that moment; his warm hand wrapped around hers, him whispering sweet nothings in her ear as he gently entwined their fingers.

She remembered how he had really done that once. There had been a tornado by her school, right in the middle of P.E. outside, and Sabine had been so scared she couldn't breathe.

"Come on, in the tornado shelter!" her teacher called.

She couldn't even move. She just stood frozen on the track, watching in terror as the tornado neared.

"Sabine!" Quigley shouted. She could hear the hysteria in his tone, but it wasn't enough to make her move.

He raced over to her, pushing past the crowd of frightened children.

As soon as he could reach her, he grabbed her hands. "Sabine, let's go," he softly commanded. She looked into his eyes and melted a little on the inside.

"Let's go, come on," he said again. His hand cupped her cheek for a moment and then he pulled her to the tornado shelter. They were the last inside and the teacher shut the door tightly behind them.

"Go, sit in the far corner with the others," the teacher said.

Sabine, her mind still frozen, stumbled behind Quigley as he frantically dragged her to the corner.

They sat on the ground and Quigley pulled Sabine in between his legs, her back to his chest, and rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. She hadn't even noticed the tears falling down her face until he wiped them away.

"Shh, don't cry, Sabine," Quigley whispered in her ear. "It's okay, don't cry."

His hand slid down her arm, then gently landed in her palm. He slowly spread his fingers out, then carefully entwined them with hers, as if he were savoring every sweet touch.

He nuzzled his nose behind her ear and inhaled deeply, then let it out. His warm breath on her skin made her shiver and she felt her cheeks heat up.

His free hand found her waist and rested there, making her shiver again.

"I've got you," he said softly, nuzzling behind her ear once more. "You're safe. It's all okay."

She did feel safe, safer than she had ever been. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, but after only about ten minutes, the teachers announced an "All clear" and they were sent back to their classes.

Sabine was snapped out of her memories by Duncan's shrieks.

"This is awful!" Duncan cried. "There's no way you can get an A on those exams, especially if you have to run laps tonight!"

Sabine hadn't even registered that the Baudelaires were talking, much less registered that they were now walking across the lawn. She sprinted to catch up with them and slowed her pace once she reached Isadora's side.

"This is horrible!" she was exclaiming. "There's no way you can make all those staples, either! You'll be homeschooled before you know it!"

Homeschooled? What in the world is she talking about? Sabine silently wondered.

"Coach Genghis won't homeschool us," Violet said, looking out at the front lawn, where a giant circle of paint was sitting. "He'll do something much, much worse. Don't you see? That's why he's been making us run all those laps! He knew we'd be exhausted. He knew we'd flunk our classes, or fail to perform our secretarial duties. He knew we'd be expelled from Prufrock Prep, and then he could get his hands on us."

Klaus groaned. "We've been waiting for his plan to make sense, and now it has. But it might be too late."

"It's not too late," Violet insisted. "The comprehensive exams aren't until tomorrow morning. We can figure out a plan by then."

"Plan!" Sunny agreed.

"It'll have to be a complicated plan," Duncan said. "We have to get Violet ready for Mr. Remora's test, and Klaus ready for Mrs. Bass's test."

"And we have to make staples," Isadora said. "And the Baudelaires still have to run laps."

"And we have to stay awake," Klaus said.

Sabine had semi-caught up to the situation by now and sighed as she looked to her friends, and then to the front lawn. The afternoon sun was beating down on her, and she frowned as she looked at the paint circle again.

"We don't have much time," Violet mumbled as she tied her hair up in a ribbon to keep it out of her eyes.

Klaus polished his glasses and set them on his nose. Sunny scraped her teeth together, and the Quagmires and Sabine took their notebooks out of their sweater pockets.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Sabine said glumly. And with that, the six children headed for the Orphans Shack.

𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣