A Series of Fortunate Events

The Subordinate Sequel | Chapter 5

I walked into my bedroom and I locked the door behind me. 

"Guys, we're all clear now," I said out loud. No response. "Guys?" I said again, a little louder.

I peeked into my closet. They weren't there. 

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," I muttered.

I ran across the hall to my sister's room. The door was still shut like it always is when she's away at school. I quickly went into her room and looked around just to make sure. Still no sign of the triplets. I looked in the guest room before I checked the whole rest of the upstairs. Grudgingly, I went downstairs to look for them, even though I knew perfectly well that I had seen them go upstairs. They couldn't have gone into my parent's bedroom, that was on a whole other side of the house. I didn't realize this at the time, but losing the triplets would only be the first in a series of other unfortunate events.

I didn't think that this day could become anymore ominous (a word which here means giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen), but that's when I realized I knew of only other place they could have gone. The one place in my whole house that I was forbidden not to go in. My brothers' old bedroom. Reluctantly, I put my shaking hand on the doorknob. I felt the cool touch of the doorknob that hadn't been used in years. I twisted the knob as slowly and quietly as I could, stepped into the dark room and softly shut the door behind me.

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I was breathing heavily as I stepped into the dark room. Ever since my brothers and sister had left home, my parents had kept the door to my brothers' bedroom shut and forbade it to be opened. My two older sisters had shared a room, so of course, my other sister was still allowed in, but all of my other sister's belongings had been removed. 

I saw a picture of our whole family hanging on the wall. I hadn't seen a picture of all of us together in a while, I had almost forgotten what my oldest three siblings looked like. I was six and my sister Victoria was 12 when our older siblings left home. I almost forgot what I had come in here for while I was mesmerized by all the reminders of how life used to be. My siblings are a lot older than I am, but while they still lived here we were all very close. I don't remember how old they would be now, but I know they would be adults. They could've fallen in love and been married, maybe even had kids by now. I walked around and I looked at all of the photographs and belongings left on the shelf. I came across a frame with two side-by-side photos of my brother and a girl who couldn't be much older than him as little kids and then again as adults. 

I saw certificates of congratulations and flyers of notice for secret meetings and many newspaper clippings framed, highlighting the details of local fires and other problems going on in the city. I quietly tiptoed into the bathroom and flicked on the light switch. All of their old soaps and toiletries were still there. I ran my finger across the dusty, marble countertop. I turned around to quietly exit the bathroom when all of a sudden I heard a large crash and the sound of glass shattering on the tile floor. I bolted towards the bedroom door, but I could hear my parents' footsteps running from over in the kitchen to see what all the commotion was. I was so close to making a clean escape when I saw the door fling open right in front of me and my parents standing in the doorway, livid (a word which here means furiously angry). 

"Elle, what do you think you're doing in here?" My dad roared. 

"I was just looking around," I trembled. 

"We have one rule in this house and it is to never go into this room. Do you understand me, young lady?" he growled. 

"Yes, sir," I gulped.