Sabine and Quigley raced down the dock, looking behind them every few seconds, paranoid that someone was following them. The hair on the back of Sabine's neck prickled, and she felt like someone was watching her. Someone was watching her, but the person wasn't watching her with a sinister intent.
"Volunteers," someone called.
Quigley stopped in his tracks, and Sabine stumbled into him. He caught her arm just as she started to fall, pulling her back to his side.
"Over here, volunteers," the voice called again.
Sabine searched the mostly empty dock and found the owner of the voice. It was a girl, not much older than Sabine herself, with odd triangle shaped glasses. Sabine did not recognize the girl, but the girl waved her and Quigley over. Quigley and Sabine shared a glance before heading to her.
"Aye, come aboard," the girl said with a smile. She was standing next to a metal hatch on a submarine that floated under the water by the dock. She twisted the wheel on the hatch, then flipped it open. The hatch revealed a metal ladder that led down to a dark room. It looked empty but for a few diving suits, and for some reason the sight made Sabine shiver.
"After you," the girl said, gesturing down the hatch.
Quigley pushed Sabine forward a few inches, his hand gently pressing on her back. She reluctantly stepped towards the hatch, then climbed down the ladder. The metal was cold and her hands felt like they were frozen by the time she hopped down into the small room.
"Sabine!" another voice called.
Sabine's head snapped quickly towards the small door that connected the small room to the rest of the submarine, and she smiled brightly.
"Kit!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the woman and giving her a hug.
Kit laughed and patted Sabine's head. "Nice to see you, too," Kit said as Quigley and the girl with triangle glasses climbed down the ladder.
"Hi, Kit," Quigley said with a wave once he spotted her.
Kit waved back and Sabine released her from the hug, wiping happy tears from her eyes.
"Welcome aboard the Queequeg," the girl with triangle glasses said as she closed the hatch above her and jumped off the ladder. Her boots hit the metal ground with a loud clang! "My name is Fiona Widdershins, and I'm the co-captain of this submarine."
"Who's the captain?" Quigley asked.
"My stepfather," Fiona replied with a proud grin. "Now, let's get going. 'He who hesitates is lost.'" Fiona bounced out of the small room and into the rest of the submarine.
"'He who hesitates is lost' is the motto on this submarine," Kit explained as they followed Fiona.
Sabine and Quigley nodded silently to show they understood.
"Stepfather! Fernald!" Fiona called as she entered the main room of the sub. An old man with a long gray beard entered the room, followed by a man with hooks for hands.
Sabine froze when she saw the hook handed man. He's one of Count Olaf's associates, she thought as she stared at him, her eyes wide with fear. The hook handed man caught Sabine's gaze and smiled apologetically.
"Nice to see you again," he said quietly.
"W-what?" Sabine stuttered.
"H-how?" Quigley asked.
"Fernald? He's my stepbrother," Fiona explained.
"B-but..." Sabine muttered. "S-sorry, he just used to work with Count Olaf and..."
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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...
