Sabine was awakened by a soft kiss on her forehead. Her hazel eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she saw Quigley watching her intently, a small grin on his lips.
"Hi, Quigs," she said sleepily.
"Hello, love. How'd you sleep?" Quigley asked as he gently stroked her hair.
"Good." She nodded. She woke up all the way and was suddenly aware of the fact that her head was laying in his lap. She blushed and sat up, deciding to become very interested in her feet. Quigley chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her another kiss on her cheek.
The car came to a stop and Kit turned around in her seat to face them. "Alright, lovebirds, we're here."
Everyone climbed out of the car, and Sabine shivered as she looked around. Ice and snow covered everything, and it looked like they were on top of a mountain.
"Wh-where are w-we?" she asked, her teeth chattering from the cold.
"Mortmain Mountains in the Valley of Four Drafts. Sorry about the cold, but we'll be inside soon," Kit explained, starting to walk towards a cave.
"Their whole headquarters is hidden inside that tiny cave?" Quigley whispered to Sabine.
"Maybe there's another secret tunnel!" Sabine said, an excited smile lighting up her face. She literally bounced along behind Kit as they entered the dark cavern.
"Um, Miss Snicket?" Quigley asked.
"You can call me Kit, but what's your question?" she responded.
"I was just-" Quigley started.
"Is there another tunnel in here?" Sabine cut in, hopping from foot to foot in a mix of curiosity and an attempt to keep her blood flowing so she didn't freeze to death.
"There is indeed another tunnel," Kit laughed with a nod.
"Awesome!" Sabine exclaimed. Quigley smiled and gave her a kiss on the top of her cold hand.
"I'm glad you're so excited," Kit said. "Come here."
Sabine entwined her fingers with Quigley's and dragged him over to where Kit was standing. All three of them looked up and saw a very long shaft. On the wall of the shaft were metal hand holds, each one spaced about a foot apart.
"This, my friends, is called a Vertical Flame Diversion. That ladder will lead us to V.F.D. headquarters," Kit explained. Sabine and Quigley pulled out their purple notebooks and turned to the pages where they had written the information that Kit told them about V.F.D. Vertical Flame Diversion, they both wrote, then stuck the journals back in their pockets.
"Follow me, volunteers," Kit said, starting her climb up the ladder.
"We're volunteers!" Sabine squealed, giving Quigley's hand an enthusiastic squeeze.
With his free hand, he cupped her chin and turned her head towards his. "Stop being so adorable," he scolded playfully, making her blush and smile. Quigley smiled back and kissed her cheek, then they both joined Kit as she ventured up the flame diversion.
Sabine shivered from the cold bursts of wind that hit her as she made her way up, but she hardly registered it. Her mind was racing with exhilaration. A secret organization! She thought giddily. She felt like Alice on her journey through Wonderland.
"'Curiouser and curiouser!'" Sabine quietly murmured, quoting Alice.
"Ah, Lewis Carroll," Kit said. "An associate of mine, although I never got to meet him."
Sabine paused in her ascension. "Lewis Carroll was a part of V.F.D.?" She gasped in astonishment.
"He sure was," Kit said.
YOU ARE READING
𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕨𝕠 ℂ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕠𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤 (ASOUE)
Fanfiction"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...
