Memento Mori {A Series of Unfortunate Events}

•NINE• In Which We Make New Friends

Word Count:

You followed Quigley into the kitchen and he motioned for you to sit down at the worn, round wooden table. He pulled a saucepan out of a cabinet and filled it with water, setting it on the stove and turning the heat up to high. He set out two mugs and filled each with a few tablespoons of cocoa powder. He started going through cabinets, opening and shutting them, not finding what he was looking for. He started to get frustrated, shutting the cabinet doors harder and harder, pushing aside pots, pans and food items. You stood up from your chair and knelt down next to him.

"What are you looking for?" You asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Marshmallows!" He exclaimed, his nose crinkling up in annoyance. "I bought three packages of them, and now I can't even find any!" You stood up and reached into the one cabinet he hadn't checked and pulled out a bag full of fluffy, perfectly white marshmallows. You opened the bag and offered one to Quigley, palm outstretched. He took the marshmallow and put in in one of the cups of cocoa powder. You put a handful more in each mug, then ate one. The water started to boil, and Quigley poured the hot water into each mug, stir in the cocoa powder. He sat down at the table, placing your mug in front of you. "Thanks, Quigley," You smiled. "So, what's your story?"

"Around six months ago, on the night of the fire, I was having trouble sleeping, so I went down to the kitchen for a snack. My mom was already there, she said she couldn't sleep, and she made us both cider. She said someone named Beatrice Baudelaire gave her the recipe, that it always helped her sleep. We talked for a while about whatever came to our minds. Then I started to smell smoke. Mom opened a trapdoor in the floor and told me to climb down the ladder. I did. She said she'd come back, and we'd all be safe, so I waited in the darkness, right under the ladder, waiting for her to come back, but she didn't.
"I could hear things crashing, my siblings screaming, and I was terrified. I tried to open the trapdoor, but something heavy must've fallen onto it. I ran off down the passage, and wandered around until I found this place." He motioned around at the tiny, cosy kitchen."I'd been living here for a week or so when a man arrived. He said his name was Lemony Snicket. He did a lot of poking about, researching things and stuff, and I spied on him." He admitted, slightly guiltily. "When he left, he forgot his book, 'The Incomplete History of Secret Organisations.' I read the whole thing through, it was very fascinating. You can read it later if you want. There's too much information to tell you verbally."

"That is quite a story, Quigley. I'm really very sorry about your parents." You smiled sadly at the boy and genuinely felt like he had become your best friend. "I'm happy to tell you your siblings are safe and well-ish at Prufrock Preparatory School, and if you want, we can go meet up with them in a few days. I'm sure I could find the way back through the tunnels." Quigley looked delighted. "You're the best, Y/N. Could we go the day after tomorrow?" You nodded.

"It's getting late," You pointed out the window, and it was indeed completely dark outside. Quigley finished his hot chocolate, and you put both mugs in the sink, rinsed them out, and put them in the already full dishwasher. You found a bottle of dishwashing detergent, poured it in, and turned on the dishwasher. You noticed that Quigley was watching you intently, but you ignored it.

"There's a bedroom upstairs that you can stay in, it looks like some kids lived here before we arrived," Quigley told you. You followed him up the stairs, and he showed you the room with the purple walls. "I'm staying in the room across the hallway if you need anything," Quigley said, before walking back to his room and softly closing the door.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

You set your belongings on the nightstand and took a look around. The room was dark, so you turned on the light, making the room fill with a buttery yellow glow. You shut the curtains on the big window on the far side of the room to close off the view from the outside. You opened the closet and saw to your delight, an array of clothes just about your size. You saw a cotton nightgown towards the back of the closet and changed into it, climbing into the bed. You turned off the light on the nightstand, plunging the room into darkness.

You lay in the dark, your eyes slowly adjusting, trying to fall asleep. Your mind just wouldn't shut up. You kept thinking about how your day had started at Prufrock Prep, and now you were miles away from the school, in a nice house, all alone with a boy who was supposed to be dead. It was so absurd you almost laughed aloud.

You lay in the bed for a while longer before giving in to your awake-ness. You got out of the bed and walked across the hall to Quigley's room. A light shone from the crack beneath the door, so you assumed he was awake. You opened the door and crept in, half-closing it behind you. "Couldn't sleep?" Quigley asked, sitting up in bed. "Actually I was wondering if I could borrow that book?" You pointed to the book on the nightstand. "Oh, sure." He looked slightly disappointed as he swept his papers off the book and handed it to you. You held it with both arms, it was heavy. "Thanks..." You left the room and partially closed the door behind you. You walked across the dark hallway, accidentally bumping your shoulder into the doorway. "Ow!" You said belatedly a few seconds after you entered your room. You shut the door and climbed into bed again, opening the book to the first page.

You started to read, absorbing the information relayed on each page, reading each chapter mechanically, slowly getting more and more tired, until you found yourself reading the same sentence over and over. Until you found yourself reading the same sentence over and over. Until you found yourself reading the same sentence over and over.

You closed the book and placed it on the nightstand, curling up into a ball to sleep.